Hanna and Em
by KailaGlass
Summary: The girls are being terrorized by A as usual, but things are changing and so are feelings! Disclaimer, I own nothing, PLL is ABC Family's!
1. Chapter 1

Hanna was feeling lonely. Mona was 'A'. Caleb and her were done and over with. She felt shocked that she wasn't hurting anymore over Caleb. He had decided to move in with his biological mom and started school there. Hanna was more upset over the fact that even though Mona was put away, the girls were still getting messages from 'A'. Which meant it wasn't over.

"Hey, I got your message and came home right away." Emily said walking through Hanna's bedroom door. Hanna smiled at how Emily referred to her house as "home".

"Yea, I'm just feeling blah. And I need you here. What are we going to do? Where do we even begin to look for Mona's partners in crime?" Hanna asked putting her head in her hands. Emily walked over to her and sat beside her on the bed. She put her hand on Hanna's back.

"I really don't know. I do know that we still need to keep an eye on Jenna. She is definitely in on this whole thing somehow. Honestly, I think Garrett was just a playing piece in this game of 'A'." Emily said with worry etched in her voice.

"I think you are right. I mean, really? Jenna can't be alone on this. The bitch is blind." Hanna retorted. Suddenly she looked at Emily. She had a weird feeling like she was seeing her for the first time. She was so beautiful, and Hanna felt the strangest urge to..

"Hanna? Are you okay?" Emily asked.

"Yea. Yea I'm fine. Just trying to figure out what to do." Hanna replied smiling at her friend. Suddenly their phones went off indicating that they had recieved texts. It was Spencer.

'S.O.S' it read. They jumped up quickly knowing what that meant. In a flash they were in Emily's car driving toward Spencer's house.

"I hate it when we send 'S.O.S' to each other!" Hanna said to Emily with her trademark annoyed/worried tone. "It makes me feel like one of us is about to die."

"I know. The way 'A' is, I can never feel too sure and safe when I get a text like that."

Once to Spencer's house they jumped out of the car and rushed inside. Spencer was in her kitchen, along with Aria who looked more confused that she was willing to admit. Before either of the girls could speak, Spencer practically pushed her laptop in Emily and Hanna's faces. It was another e-mail video, and of course, it was from 'A'.

Without saying a word, Hanna and Emily watched the video. They were shocked when Aria's dad popped up on the video. Then Meredith. They were in his office playfully chatting away. There was no sound, but the girls could tell by the flirting going on with Mr. Montgomery and Meredith, that their chatting wasn't innocent. The two got closer, shared a kiss, and the video went blank. Then it popped back on. It was Ezra and Aria in his office at Hollis. They were laughing and flirting, followed by a kiss. Then the video stopped for good. Underneath the attachment were the words: "Like father, like daughter... But what are you willing to do to keep this video unseen?"-A.

Hanna looked up at Aria, followed by Emily. Aria just stood there, looking worried as ever. She finally handed her cell phone to them. There was a message from the unknown sender that haunted them. It read:

"Tell Hollis about your naughty father, or else you and Ezra get hell."-A

"I don't know what to do." Aria started. "I threatened my mom that I would tell Hollis if they banned me from seeing Ezra. But it was an empty threat. I knew they wouldn't make me do that. Now 'A' wants me to do it for real."

"Fake it!" Hanna practically yelled. "Go to Hollis, and pretend to tell them."

"That will never work. 'A' keeps track on us like a GPS with a cam-recorder. Whoever else 'A' is, they'll know Aria didn't really tell." Spencer said.

"But why did they send it to you?" Emily asked Spencer.

"I don't know, Em. I think maybe now 'A' is out on an embarrassment streak. So just be ready for it. Don't be shocked if something you really don't want anyone to know gets out. And I have a feeling this is only the beginning. Mona was just a piece of the game. They needed her and she had the motive to go along with it." Spencer exclaimed feeling slight anger build up in her.

The girls agreed to try to get some sleep. Since Spencer's parents were out of town with Melissia for the week, the girls decided to stay the night there. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when Hanna woke up. She looked over to see Emily sleeping beside her.

She was gorgeous. Eyes softly shut, lips curved up, almost in a smile. Despite the nightmare haunting them, maybe it was possible to have good dreams. Hanna gently touched Emily's arm. She jumped up and nearly head butted Hanna. Hanna giggled.

"What is it?" Emily asked groggily. She smiled at Hanna's giggle as she propped up on one arm.

"Let's go downstairs and get some coffee." Hanna offered, getting up and extending her hand to Emily.

"Really? Coffee... at two a.m.?" Emily looked at Hanna as if she were crazy. Which made Hanna giggle even more. Emily took her hand and Hanna helped her to her feet. They shuffled sleepily downstairs into the kitchen. Emily started on the coffee as Hanna watched her as she put the coffee in the coffee pot. Hanna seized the perfect opportunity, as Emily had her back turned.

Hanna walked up to Emily and said "Em," as she touched her arm. When Emily turned toward her, Hanna kissed her. Despite her fear, she went for it, and kissed Emily softly. She felt a mix of happiness and excitement as Emily kissed her back. Hanna put her arms around Emily's waist and pulled her closer to her own body, as the kiss heated up.

Hanna kissed her faster, and Emily retured the kiss passionately. Emily had her hands on Hanna's hips pulling her toward her. They were pulled as closed to each other as was possible, locked in a passionate kiss. Then Emily broke away.

"What?' Hanna asked looking a little disappointed.

"Well... I, uh... um I wasn't expecting that, Hanna." Emily said.

"Well it sure did look like you were enjoying it." Hanna replied moving in on Emily once more. Emily held out her arms as a barrier between them.

"Are you sure about this? Hanna you just broke-" Emily started.

"This has nothing to do with Caleb. Or stress. Or anything. This has to do with me, Hanna, hi. Wanting you, Emily." Hanna smiled despite Emily's arms blocking her away from the body she so badly wanted to be pressed against.

"And you're sure? You know this is going to change everything." Emily said back.

"Thank God!" Hanna threw Emily's arms down and continued to kiss her. Emily, despite being a little confused, kissed her back once again.


	2. Chapter 2

It was nearly three a.m. before the girls started drinking their coffee. They both laughed and flirted. Hanna had a death hold on Emily's hand as they sat in the kitchen. Emily smiled at Hannah in a way that no one had ever smiled at her before.

"What?" Hanna asked grinning.

"When did you know? That you liked me. Girls. In general?" Emily asked.

"I don't know. I don't really think it's an I like girls, or I like boys kind of thing. It's an I like you kind of thing." Hanna said leaning over to kiss her. Their lips pecked and she nearly went in again for another, when they heard something.

"What was that?" Emily asked.

"I don't know. It sounded like it came from-" Hanna started but was cut off.

"What are you two doing? It's nearly three in the morning!" Spencer babbled walking down the stairs. Aria followed behind her.

"Oh, look. It IS three in the morn-Are you drinking coffee?" Aria asked. Emily and Hanna looked at each other and began giggling. Aria smiled and went over to the coffee pot, Spencer right behind her anxious for a cup as well.

"I've been thinking," Spencer started, "and what if Lucas is in on this 'A' thing. I mean, he was there. At the masquerade ball, and if I do recall, he was talking to Jenna, and some other girl."

"You know, you may be right. I have been thinking too. And what if all this time, Lucas has been on 'A's team? Because I'm beginning to think that when he 'borrowed' Caleb's money and all that drama happened... What if it was part of the plan? To make Lucas look innocent. Like we all thought he was on the 'A' team and then he supposedly wasn't. But what if he really is?" Hannah asked trying to think back to the night of the masquerade ball.

"Guys, we have to find out who that girl was. The mystery girl. She could be a part of this, and if so, we need to know who she is." Aria said sipping her coffee.

"What are you going to do about Hollis?" Emily asked Aria.

"Well, it's not like Ezra works there anymore anyway. So why not just watch and wait. If 'A' wants to expose us, then go ahead. I'll be eighteen soon anyway." Aria shrugged off the question.

The girls all sat there deep in thought, trying to figure out what to make of the 'A' game. Ali had a lot of enemies, but why would someone go through all this trouble to hurt someone who was dead. The girls knew they were in the line of fire because they were Ali's friends. But at the same time, Ali tortured them as well. People on the outside must have known that.

By eight in the morning they were exhausted. Emily and Hanna decided to return to Hanna's house to pack some clothes so that they could stay the remainder of the week at Spencer's house. When they got inside, Hanna flopped down onto the bed. Seizing opportunity, Emily jumped on her.

Hanna screamed in delight as Emily began kissing her neck. Hanna giggled and welcomed Emily's kiss. They just stayed in that one spot, their kisses joining them as one. Emily slowly went for Hanna's shirt. Hanna let Emily undress her and then Hanna went for Emily. Down to their bra and panties, Emily got back on top of her.

She began kissing Hanna, then trailed little kisses down her neck. As she began to move past her neck to her chest, the kisses got deeper and she began to dip her tongue with every kiss. She kissed past her belly until she came to her lacy white panties. She kissed the fabric, pressing her lips in enough to give Hanna a taste of what was coming. Hanna moaned quietly. With that, Emily made the bold move and removed them slowly, showing Hanna, all of Hanna to her eyes.

She kissed Hanna's thighs, and let her hand wander to find Hanna's. When she found it, she grasp onto it. Then she began. The first touch of her tongue caused Hanna to jerk, and as she continued, the twitching and moaning began to get louder. Emily made love to her faster, and Hanna's sounds grew louder. She squeezed Emily's hand hard when the pleasure hit, and the noises she made were like music to Emily's ears.


	3. Chapter 3

Hanna awoke to her phone going crazy. It was one twenty-two in the afternoon. Spencer and Aria! Hanna quickly grabbed up her phone and saw all the messages and missed calls. She called Spencer.

"Hanna! What the hell happened? You and Emily were supposed to come back here, and you went all M.I.A on us!" Spencer answered.

"Sorry, sorry. We fell asleep! I'm waking Em up right now, and we'll be on our way over." Hanna said shaking Emily.

"Ok, just hurry. Aria and I think we have something figured out." Spencer said with an excitement in her voice.

"Ok we'll be there in like, ten minutes." Hanna replied. They hung up and Hanna turned to see Emily shuffling through her clothes. Hanna walked up behind her and put her arms around her waist. Emily smiled and rested her head back against Hanna.

"Did you get a lecture?" Emily asked teasingly.

"You know it." Hanna smiled letting go of Emily so that they could pack some things for their week at Spencer's house. They finished quickly, and Hanna's mind wandered to that morning. Her and Emily had made love on that very bed, and now, a few hours later, they were off to go deal with 'A' stuff. Hanna was tired of the 'A' stuff.

They pulled into Spencer's driveway. Once they got out of the car, Aria met them at the door. Upon looking at her face, the girls knew that whatever news was coming, it wasn't good.

"Three words: Jenna isn't blind." Aria said as they came inside.

"What?" Emily asked with a shocked expression.

"Well see, that's what I said too. But Holden called me. Said he saw something strange. He said, "You know that Jenna girl, the blind one? Well I saw her. Driving a car. It was the scariest sight I have ever seen. All I could think is, isn't she blind?" And guys, he just doesn't know." Aria said flopping onto the couch.

"So wait, he's absolutely sure it was her?" Hanna asked Aria.

"Yep. Absolutely sure. So what does that mean? She told everyone the surgery didn't work. Well blind people don't just drive around town. By their self. Yea, did I forget to mention that part? She was alone!" Aria's tone showed she was freaked out.

"Ok, ok. Let's think about this." Emily said. "It's obvious now. She is on the 'A' team, or maybe she even could be 'A'... Everyone thinking she is still blind makes her 'poor, sad little Jenna', but in reality, she is not."

"Maybe I just need to slap her glasses off again. But this time I'll yell, "Like you even need these, bitch!" And then step on them." Hanna exclaimed.

"Hanna!" Emily said with a slight smile.

"Well, what does she expect? I mean, I don't know what to do, but we have to do something! We have got to try to get ahead. Find out who 'A' is and then torture them!" Hanna was fuming.

"Well I have an idea." Spencer spoke up. The girls looked at her. "We need to create something. Something crazy. Make 'A' think we did something really bad. Hanna, you have to confide in Lucas. One of us will have a freak out to Jenna. But we'll do this one at a time. And we'll make a place where 'A' can go to 'find' the fake evidence of what we did. Then we'll know who the rat is, and we'll find one of the 'A' members."

"That could work! When do we start?" Aria asked.

"Tonight. We need to brainstorm ideas and figure out something bad enough that 'A' will want to hold it over our heads. Hanna, I'm with you. We are not 'A's little puppy dogs, rolling over to them every time we get hit. It's time we picked up our own newspaper." Spencer's determined face showed hope for the girls.


	4. Chapter 4

The girls thought all evening about what they could do to throw 'A' off. They needed to get a new game plan, and they needed one fast. They threw out ideas left and right, only to find them impossible or too far fetched. They had almost given up hope, when Aria piped up.

"What if, we go along with what Spence said. Hanna, you go to Lucas. And I'll go to Jenna. We'll say that... That we found papers written to Alison and that they are valuable to her murder case. We'll say that we hid them in Spencer's backyard. Then we'll see what happens." Aria explained.

"That doesn't sound half bad." Spencer said. "But why my house?"

"Because 'A' likes to hide in your closet and write on your mirrors." Hanna teased.

"Not funny, Hanna. But I see the point. Okay then, I'm up for it." Spencer said nodding her head.

"Wait. There's one more person." Emily spoke up. "I think we need to check out Noel."

"Why Noel?" Aria asked.

"Think about it, Aria," Hanna started, "Noel was dating Mona. Then he just dumped her for Jenna? No offense but why would a guy like Noel dump a girl like Mona, for a girl like Jenna? Doesn't that seem even a little bit strange to you?"

"Well you don't have to convince me. I think he has been acting strange. Especially when we had that stupid lock in at school. Noel is definitely a suspect. But I don't think me talking to him is a good idea." Aria said shaking her head.

"You have to. And listen, we can't trust anyone, ok? Aria, as much as I hate to say it, keep an eye on Ezra. Emily, watch out for Paige. We don't know if she's really on your side or if she is in this game as well. None of us can be too careful. And I'm going to keep a careful eye on my sister." Spencer said to the girls.

They all agreed and began to fix their plot. They got a few pieces of white paper and scribbled a few words on each page. They crumpled the papers and then folded them in half. Spencer stuffed them in a shoe box. They dug a shallow hole in Spencer's yard and put the box in the hole. Hanna quickly covered it with dirt, and patted it smooth with the shovel.

"Ok guys, fake evidence planted. Now let's find out if we have a rat, and if so, who it is." Aria said staring at the covered hole.

"Who do we tell first?" Emily asked looking at them with slight concern.

"I'll go first. Might as well. I'd like to know if Lucas is in on this." Hanna stated.

"Okay, then. It's settled. Call him. Ask him to meet you in half an hour at the coffee shop. Tell him it's really important and you need someone to talk to, but you don't know who to trust. Just make it convincing, Hanna." Spencer said. With that, Hanna pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Lucas's number.

"Lucas, hey. I really need to talk to you." Pause. "No, no, I just... Lucas it's bad and I don't know who to trust. I don't know who else I can talk to." Pause. "Okay meet me at the coffee shop in half an hour. And Lucas, thanks." Hanna finished and hung up the phone.

"Okay Hanna, you did great. Now let's go. And don't worry. We'll be just around the corner. If anything goes wrong, just call one of us." Spencer said.

"Yea, I will do that." Hanna looked straight into Emily's eyes and smiled at her, as they all turned to get in the car.


	5. Chapter 5

Hanna was sitting at an outside table waiting for Lucas. She sipped her coffee nervously, waiting for him to arrive. She kept checking her phone for the time, it had become a nervous habit for her. Two minutes until seven thirty. She snapped her head up at the sound of footsteps. It was Lucas.

"Hey, Lucas." Hanna said trying to give a smile.

"Hanna. What's wrong? You didn't give me much over the phone." Lucas said sitting down across from her.

"I really don't know where to start. We found some papers. They were to Ali, and they weren't pretty. There are some really, really horrible things in that letter. I was totally freaked out... But you know what we found?" Hanna asked looking excited.

"What?" Lucas asked curiously.

"A fingerprint. We never touched the letter without gloves... Whoever wrote it, wasn't very careful back then. There's a fingerprint where they smudged the ink with their finger. This could be a huge break in Ali's case!" Hanna exclaimed.

"Have you taken it to the police?" Lucas asked hurriedly.

"Not yet... We don't want anyone to sabotage it so we buried it in Spencer's back yard." She said with a grin.

"In Spencer's backyard." Lucas repeated. "So when are you going to give it to the police?"

"Friday. The end of the week. We decided if we could just get our heads together and have the evidence un-sabotaged, things will work out in our favor. And Ali's mystery will be solved. Because it's obvious that whoever wrote that letter, wanted her dead." Hanna explained.

Lucas looked as though he were taking all this in and remembering every word. Hanna watched him carefully, trying to read his face. He did look nervous or maybe it was concern. Hanna knew whatever it was, it was something he was feeling. Could Lucas really be on the 'A' team?

"Sorry Hanna, but I have to go." Lucas said getting up.

"But Lucas! Am I even doing the right thing? Should I take it to the police now?" Hanna asked, trying her best to sound frantic.

"No, no. Hanna you're doing the right thing. Friday you should take it and explain everything. Now I gotta go." With that, Lucas hurried off.

"That was really weird." Hanna said to the girls as she met up with them around the corner. She looked at Emily and caught her eye. Emily smiled and looked down at her feet.

"What happened?" Spencer asked.

"Well he was weird. He hurried off after I told him about the papers. He told me I should wait until Friday to tell the cops." Hanna explained.

"Ok, so now we wait until Friday. We gotta watch the yard. And if anyone comes along or digs it up, we'll know it was Lucas. Or Lucas told 'A'." Aria said looking at the girls.

"So now we just watch and wait." Spencer said. The girls all agreed to this and headed back to Spencer's house. The car ride back, Hanna and Emily rode in the backseat, holding hands and smiling. The girls chatted about 'A', and what would happen when they found out who murdered Ali. They weren't sure what was coming, but they hoped it would reveal all.

That night the girls sat around Spencer's room talking and keeping an eye on the buried box in the yard. They chatted and laughed, but the nervous feeling from the four of them hung heavy in the room. They were all concerned about Lucas's behavior when he met up with Hanna. Hanna had a bad feeling that Lucas had something to do with the 'A' team, and she didn't want that to be true.

"Ali had so many enemies." Aria said shaking her head.

"Can you blame them? Look at the hell she put people through. Think about the things she did to us. And we were her friends. Imagine not being her friend." Spencer said.

"I just don't know who would want to kill her. And I definitely don't believe her death was a bad prank gone wrong. Can someone really hate another person that much? Hate them enough to kill them and then torture the people left?" Emily asked, resting her head on her hand.

"Honestly, I don't know. But we have to remember, Ali was cruel. And unfortunately, there is someone out there much more cruel than she was." Hanna answered, staring out of the window.


	6. Chapter 6

It was Friday evening. No one had dug up the box in Spencer's backyard. The girls had watched and waited for someone, anyone, to come snooping around. But no one came, and once again the girls were left with no answers. They were getting anxious, and beginning to cross Lucas off their list as the days came and went and no one showed.

"What if Lucas really isn't part of the 'A' game?" Spencer said dully, as she stared out of the window.

"I'm beginning to think he isn't. Whoever should be coming to dig up this box, hasn't come yet." Aria stated holding her hand up in defeat.

"Well, today isn't over yet." Emily commented as the girls sat in Spencer's kitchen as they had been doing all week. Hanna looked up at Emily and smiled. Emily grinned back at her, slightly cutting her eyes at her as if to say "Yea I see that smile." Aria saw them.

"What is it? You guys look like you're in each other's heads sharing an inside joke." Aria commented with a slight smile.

"No, just thinking and I think Em, here, can read my mind." Hanna said. Emily's eyes got wide for a split second, then she regained her composure.

"Or maybe she just thinks I know what's going on in her head." She teased. Aria and Spencer looked at each other, and then back at Hanna and Emily.

"I've seen these looks before." Spencer stated. Aria let out an excited gasp.

"Are you guys TOGETHER?" Aria started grinning. "Don't even deny it! Both of you are blushing! When did this happen?"

"Well, kind of... a little over a week ago." Emily mumbled smiling.

"Why didn't you tell us? And when did you start liking girls?" Spencer asked Hanna with a teasing smirk.

"Well, I started liking Emily, a long time ago. And yea it is true." Hanna walked over to Emily and put her arm around her. "And I don't know, we were still trying to figure out what we were feeling. We couldn't tell you two, when we didn't even know ourselves."

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about keeping a significant other out of the 'A' stuff. I mean, both of you get tormented anyway." Aria said half teasing the two.

"Thanks, Aria." Emily smiled, even with the slight sarcasm in her voice.

"Hey, just saying." Aria held her hands up.

"This isn't going to be easy for you two." Spencer said quietly. "We can't keep secrets from each other. From now on, we have to tell each other what goes on in our lives. Because 'A' wants one of us to join it's team. And in order to do that, it has to turn us on each other. We cannot give in to them. It. She. Whatever 'A' is!"

"I agree completely." Hanna said grabbing Emily a little tighter.

"It's getting late. Let's all go up to my room and see if our little suspect comes around tonight." Spencer offered, and the girls accepted the challenge.

It was Hanna and Emily's turn to watch the window, while Spencer and Aria tried to sleep. Emily sat near the window sill in Spencer's big chair, and Hanna sat on the same chair in front of her. She leaned back against Emily and sighed.

"Do you really think that Lucas is innocent?" Hanna asked, touching Emily's hand with her own. She ran her fingers over the top of Emily's hand very slowly.

"I don't know, Hanna. But I hope so. I don't even see how he pulled that money stunt, much less how he could be on 'A's side. I just don't believe that." Emily responded, running her fingers across the palm of Hanna's hand.

"Me either. I don't know why they're doing this to us. 'A' is obviously more than one person... Especially with Jenna involved. You know she is. She was driving, Em. Driving. She lied to Toby and everyone else. It's bullshit. Her eyes are fine. Or at least one of them is for her to be driving." Hanna ranted.

"I've been thinking a lot about that. I don't think Garrett is innocent, but I don't think he planned all of this either. I know Jenna got him to do her dirty work. And in order for her to get him to be on her side, she pretended to need him, she dated him. I wouldn't be surprised if she had asked him to get that coroner's report of Ali's death and then framed him." Emily said holding Hanna close to her.

"Oh my God, Emily! What if she-"

"Did you see that?" Emily cut her off. Hanna jerked up and looked out of the window.

"What? I do-"

"Look! Right there!" Emily whispered pointing to the left corner of Spencer's yard.

And in that spot, Hanna saw the shadow, lurking in the night.


	7. Chapter 7

"Spencer! Aria! Get UP!" Hanna was trying whisper, but it was like a whisper-yell. They both snapped awake and jumped up.

"What? What is it?" Spencer said, a little loud.

"SHHHH!" Hanna and Emily both tried to quiet her down.

"There's someone out there! Look!" Emily pointed at the corner of Spencer's yard. Aria and Spencer moved quickly to where Hanna and Emily were standing.

"Come on." Spencer said taking charge and heading for her bedroom door.

"What? What are you doing?" Emily asked.

"WE are going out there, now! I'm done hiding, I'm done playing games. I'm catching them, tonight!" The girls quickly followed Spencer down to her kitchen. They flung the door open just as the figure was about to reach the buried box.

"Hey!" Hanna yelled as they flung the door with a bang. The figure looked up at the girls, and they gaped at who they saw.

"Caleb?" Hanna was shocked.

"Hanna... Your mom said you'd be here. Listen... I'd been thinking, and I messed up... Really bad. I want to be with you, Hanna." He said. Hanna just gaped at him.

Aria and Spencer were in shock at the sight of the scene unfolding in front of them. They immediately turned to Emily's face. There was shock, anger, and fright in her eyes. She was staring directly at Hanna, waiting for her to say something. Aria and Spencer were afraid for Emily. They knew how Hanna had felt for Caleb. They were shocked at what she said.

"You can't do that Caleb. You can't come back here and ask for me back. Because I am happy and with someone else. And I know you're lying. Now you should probably leave right now for the first flight back to your moms." Hanna snapped at him.

"I can't do that Hanna." He replied. He was different, and all the girls noticed it. He sounded... Creepy.

"Oh yes you can." Spencer spoke up. "Or I'll call the police."

"No you won't. Hanna won't let you." He replied with a snort.

"That's right," Hanna said pulling out her phone," I'll call them myself." Caleb's face went from anger, to a strange calm.

"Ok, ok." He said, walking away. He turned back to Hanna. "I'll see you soon." Hanna walked over and grabbed Emily's hand. Caleb's face went to anger at the sight, then he stomped off. The girls watched him go, their minds racing.

"What the HELL was THAT?" Emily was more frightened that furious.

"I don't know! But he was lying, guys. He was so totally lying. I could tell. He wasn't coming to this house to see me. I know it." Hanna was pacing as she spoke.

"Oh, God. Hanna why didn't we see it before? Remember when he was helping Jenna, and then he pulled that innocent 'I don't know why she wants me to do this' act? Maybe he wasn't innocent after all." Spencer said.

"If he really has been working for Jenna this whole time, he knows too much." Aria said, looking at them.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this. And I'm going to figure out who's going to dig up that stupid box!" Hanna said in anger.

The girl's kept their watch on the box all night. Aria and Spencer asked for coffee when their hour came around. Hanna and Emily were wide awake anyway, so they headed downstairs. Hanna grabbed Emily's hand and kissed the top of it as they walked. Emily just looked at her unsure.

"Hanna, something's wrong. Caleb is different, and he looked scary tonight. You can't run into him alone." She said pulling Hanna to her.

"I know, I know. I won't, I'll be extra careful." Hanna replied, kissing Emily. The kiss went from pecks, to a long, slow kiss. Hanna felt Emily's tongue slide over hers and she felt a tingly sensation. She pulled Emily closer.

"Where's our coffee?" Spencer yelled. They jumped and then giggled.

"Just a minute!" Emily called, starting the coffee pot. Hanna and Emily, for the first time all night, relaxed a little and tried to forget about what happened.

The thirty minutes they had to 'sleep', Hanna and Emily layed in the bed together. Emily lay facing the wall, her back to Hanna's stomach. Hanna had her arms around her, holding her close. She trailed light kisses along her neck. Emily shivered.

She rolled over to face Hanna. They just layed there, staring at each other. Finally, Emily leaned over and kissed her. Kissed her again. And again. They kept kissing until they heard Aria and Spencer giggling in the doorway, which told them it was their time to take over watching the box.


	8. Chapter 8

Emily could see Ali's empty grave. Coffin open, but no body. Why was she here again? She felt as though she was in a daze. She was drunk. And leaning on a shovel. Then the haze cleared, her mind cleared. And she saw a person come out of the woods. She squinted her eyes, trying to see in the dark. They stepped out into the moonlight.

Black hoodie, she couldn't see their face. But whoever it was, they were carrying something in their arms. In the moonlight, Emily could see blonde hair hanging over the person's arm as they slowly crept forward with the body. Emily saw Alison's face come into view.

Her skin was pale white. Too white. She was limp in the hooded person's arms. Her arm dangled as the person stopped walking. Emily could see her clothes were the same from the night that she disappeared. Ali was so still, the night had turned eerily quiet. Suddenly her eyes flew open.

"Help me, Emily." She whispered.

Emily shot up yelping. She looked around frantically, pushing the covers away. She was in Hanna's room. The moon was glowing in the sky. She was inside, safe from the scary dream that had been haunting her ever since that night.

"Emily, what is it?" Hanna, still half asleep, sat up and touched her arm.

"I had the dream again." Emily mumbled, drawing her knees in to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"Em," Hanna sat up and put her arms around her. "That night, wasn't your fault. Someone snuck in Spencer's house. They basically kidnapped you. You didn't know what was happening. It could have been any of us."

"I know, but still... I need to know who it was. I just... I don't know." Emily said. But Hanna knew Emily, and knew there was something on her mind.

"Emily, something is bothering you. You can tell me. No matter how horrible you think it might be." Hanna said to her.

"Okay... What I do remember about that night, is that I was okay. I mean I was okay with the person. I didn't feel threatened by them at the time. What if it's someone I know and trust?" Emily said putting her head on her knees.

"That's the problem, babe. Anyone could be 'A'. I loved and trusted Mona. She was my best friend. She betrayed me in every way a friend can betray someone. I never suspected her at all. That's what we have to be careful about. Trusting people isn't something we can afford to do. We still don't know what Caleb would've done if we hadn't interrupted. For all I know, he could've come to dig up the box. But no one ever did. And as much as I hate to say it, Aria has to watch Ezra, and Spence has to watch Toby." Hanna gently pushed Emily's hair behind her ear.

"Toby... She has to be careful, Hanna. He is just... I don't want to believe he would be in on this, but still. We can't be oblivious to the fact he, or even Ezra, could be on the 'A' team. Ali was interested in older guys. Ezra is older." Emily shook her head. "It's all way too difficult. I just want a vacation."

"So let's go on vacation. Let's talk Spencer and Aria into kidnapping their boyfriends, and we'll all go stay at Spencer's lakehouse. That way, if something goes down, we can have a hawk eye on Ezra and Toby. We can cross them off the 'A' list for sure." Hanna said with a slight smile.

"I think that would be nice. I need it. Who knows, maybe 'A' will let us have some fun without interrupting." Emily said, laying back down.

"Ha, yea. Doubt it." Hanna half laughed as she pulled the covers over them.

"I know. But a girl can dream, right?" Emily asked.

"Only if she's dreaming of me," Hanna crooned at Emily with a grin.

Hanna leaned down and kissed Emily. She rubbed her face, as she kissed her forehead. Emily finally let her eyes close, and felt her self relax as Hanna rubbed her cheek. Hanna knew when Emily finally fell back asleep.

"Please just dream of me," Hanna whispered, looking at her sleeping. She looked so tired, so worn out. Hanna knew she did as well, 'A' was driving them all wacko. As she looked at Emily sleeping, she hoped that her girlfriend could sleep through the rest of the night. And maybe in the morning, things would be better. For the both of them.

Hanna settled in beside Emily, putting her arm around Emily's waist. She snuggled up against her gently, making sure not to wake her. Hanna listened carefully, and heard Emily's heart beat. Several minutes later, she was asleep as well.

The shadow slinked along the house, and to the back door. Sliding a card into the crack, a small click could be heard. A gloved hand turned the knob, pushed the door open slowly, and crept silently into Hanna's house. Taking a quick look around, they headed for the stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

"Aria, snag Ezra. I already talked to Spence, and we're on for this weekend at the lake house." Hanna said into the phone as she drove toward Spencer's house.

"She told me. I just called him. He said he was up for a get away. I'm just glad my mom had come to terms with us." Aria said, relief in her voice.

"I know, and I'm really happy for you, Aria. It's great."

"Thanks Hanna. So we're just meeting up at the lake house around four?" Aria asked.

"Yep. We all need this." Hanna said.

"I agree. We really really do."

Two days passed by slowly, and finally it was Friday. They all met up at Spencer's lake house and got settled in. Toby and Ezra made a fire, and they sat around laughing and talking. They got Ezra warmed into the group quickly. They were having a nice time together. Until Spencer spoke very serious words.

"I hate to do this, but guys we need to tell Toby and Ezra about 'A'." Spencer said looking down. They got quiet.

"I thought Mona was 'A'." Ezra said, looking at Aria.

"We thought so too. We lied about where we were that night Ali's grave was dug up. We weren't here. We were at Spencer's house." Aria spoke up.

"We were all drinking. Woke up, no Emily. So we finally found her, drunk out of her mind, standing in front of Ali's grave. With a shovel." Spencer said.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Toby looked at Spencer. Ezra looked at Aria.

"That's not all." Emily was speaking now. "Someone called me at twelve a.m., only Spencer wasn't awake then. Someone snuck into her house and called my phone. And someone took me with them to Ali's grave. Someone set us up. I can't remember who it was, but I know it was someone I knew or trusted."

"Do you girls not lock doors? How do you know that?" Ezra asked.

"Because I remember feeling calm with them." She said looking down.

"And the night that we found out Mona was 'A', the room that she led Spencer to was full of 'A's things. Ali's journal. Pictures of Ali, of us. Everywhere. We never told the police about Lost Woods, the room where all the stuff was. We came back the next day, and it was empty. Everything was gone." Aria said, shaking her head.

"Lost Woods Resort?" Ezra asked.

"That's the one." Aria answered.

"I went and visited Mona, trying to figure out why she did this and who was helping her. There was no way she did it on her own." Hanna spoke up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ezra asked Aria.

"We all kept it a secret... For our safety. We didn't know who to trust." Spencer said looking at him.

"Then it all started again. We started getting texts. Someone has pictures of us at Ali's grave that night. Oh, and another thing. Caleb's back." Aria rolled her eyes.

"And he is on total creeper mode. We caught him sneaking around Spencer's house one night!" Hanna exclaimed.

"What?" Toby looked a little mad.

"We made up this bullshit-" Spencer made an 'oops' face and looked at Ezra.

"Bullshit, we've all said it." He smiled waving his hand for her to continue.

"Right. Anyway we made up this story to Lucas, who we have been suspicious of ever since we saw him talking to Jenna-" Spencer started.

"Who is totally not blind by the way." Aria snorted in disgust.

"What?" Toby asked again.

"A friend of mine saw her DRIVING, Toby. He goes to Rosewood, so he knows who she is. He was freaked out because he thought she was blind too. But no, he saw her cruising along, alone on the road." Aria answered.

"Spencer, why didn't you tell me?" Toby asked looking at her.

"Trying to! Anyway," she continued glaring momentarily at Aria, "we got Hanna to tell Lucas we found a letter to Ali, saying really bad things. She told him whoever wrote the letter, smudged ink and left a print, and that we were going to take it to the police. She told him we buried it in a box in my backyard and would be taking it to the police in a few days."

"Why did you tell him you buried it?" Ezra asked.

"Because I told him that we didn't want anyone tampering with the evidence, and getting us in trouble so we hid it until the time was right. And the night we were supposed to take it to the police, who shows up creeping around Spence's house? Caleb." Hanna finished.

"But why would Caleb be helping Mona?" Ezra asked.

"See that's the thing..." Aria started. "We don't think this 'A' team is helping Mona. Mona was helping them. It. Whoever. She was using this 'A' thing to get back at Hanna for 'dumping' her for us. Which wasn't even the case."

"If the surgery worked, then that means that Jenna knew that Alison's page five autopsy report was there. She knew what it was the night she played innocent and handed it to me telling me that Garrett asked her to keep it." Toby pondered over what he was saying.

"This is all completely insane. Who would do all of this, and why?" Ezra asked them, slight anger in his voice.

"We don't know. Ali had a lot of enemies. Us being her best friends, didn't help us out at all. Whoever it is doing this, they're out to get us. But there's things they didn't do." Emily said.

"Yea there are things that 'A' had, like pictures, that never got out. As far as we know." Aria said holding Ezra's hand.

"What did you say to Caleb when you all caught him?" Toby asked.

"Well he wasn't happy when he found out about us." Hanna said grabbing Emily's hand. Emily blushed.

"Wow. Yea I'm sure that wasn't good. Was he acting strange besides creeping around the house?" Ezra asked the girls.

"Oh yea. I know him, and the way he was acting wasn't good. He said he came to tell me he wanted me back, and then when I made it clear I was taken, he turned icy. His last words were, "I'll see you soon." before he stormed off and left us all like what the hell." Hanna said.

"Not to mention, I'm sure you guys noticed he was going for the box before we burst out of my back door and caught him." Spencer said matter-of-factly.

"Yea, I noticed that too. I just never know what to expect. But if he was going for the box, that means Lucas told him about it. He was the only person that knew besides us four." Aria noted, looking at Ezra. He returned her look with a worried expression.

"What if you all aren't safe?" Ezra asked worriedly.

"This has been going on for a long time. We're not dead yet." Hanna joked.

"Yea, yet." Spencer said, rolling her eyes.

"This is serious. Why don't you just tell the police?" Ezra asked.

"Because they are just looking for a reason to lock us up. We don't have enough to go on except unknown calls and unknown messages. That room at Lost Woods Resort could have been a break through for us, but no. As usual we are stuck to figure out 'A' on our own with nothing to go on." Hanna said, leaning against Emily.

"Hanna's right. The police can't help us. We have to catch 'A'. And we need to do it fast." Spencer said, as Toby opened a bag of marshmallows.

"So let's just forget 'A' for now and try to have a good night." Emily said, snagging a marshmallow.

"Yes, let's just have fun for once!" Aria exclaimed, kissing Ezra quickly and grabbing the marshmallow bag from Emily.

Hanna was happy to see that everyone restored the jolly mood and began roasting marshmallows. They laughed and talked about various things as they ate the gooey, burnt fluff and made fun of one another. Yes, Hanna thought, this was a good idea after all.


	10. Chapter 10

Hanna awoke that morning to her phone ringing. She scrambled from the roll out bed and grabbed her phone. It was her mom calling. She answered, already worrying about what this call could be about. What her mother was about to say, was the last thing she expected.

"Hello?" Hanna said into her cell phone.

"Hanna, I knew you were lying to me." She started as soon as Hanna said hello.

"What?" Hanna asked, tensing up.

"I just got a picture of you all snuggled up with Emily. If you two are together, that's fine. I just want you to be happy. But now I know someone is messing with you. They took the picture in your room Hanna. You and Emily were asleep." Ashley said.

"Mom... Spencer took that picture." Hanna lied. "I told her to send it to you so you would know. Surprise."

"Hanna, it was from a blocked number. If there's something more-"

"Mom, Mona's locked away, there is nothing more, okay? The picture was a joke. Look we are trying to have a fun weekend. I love you, but I gotta go." Hanna said, feeling terrible.

"Okay Hanna. I love you too." Her mom didn't sound too convinced as they hung up.

"S.O.S." Hanna yelled loudly. Emily jumped up, and the others came quickly to the room Hanna and Emily were in.

"What? What is it?" Spencer asked half asleep.

"My mother just called to inform me that someone from a blocked number sent her a picture of Emily and I, sleeping. Cuddled up. Now she knows we're together." Hanna explained.

"What did you tell her?" Emily asked.

"That Spencer took it and sent it to her as a joke. To show her, surprise, we're together." Hanna answered.

"Thanks a lot." Spencer said looking at Hanna with wide eyes.

"Well I had to think of something quick!" Hanna exclaimed.

"Someone, 'A', was in your room, Hanna. Watching us sleep." Emily shivered.

"Don't you lock your doors?" Ezra asked the question once again, half asleep.

"Yes I lock the doors!" Hanna snapped. "We all try so hard to keep ourselves safe, and 'A' always figures out how to get past us. I'm sure that 'A's been in your apartment, Ezra."

"I hope not." He looked worriedly at Aria. As much as she wanted to comfort him and say she was sure 'A' hadn't been there, she couldn't.

"This is all driving me insane!" Emily exclaimed.

"Em, calm down." Aria tried.

"Yea, you say that now, until 'A' comes into your room while you're all cuddled up with Ezra and snaps photos of you two!" Hanna yelped.

"Well technically they would have to come to his room at the apartment..." Aria gave a smirk as she trailed off. "I'm sure 'A' has been there." Ezra groaned when she said that.

"I'm telling you, you don't know what you have gotten yourself into." Emily said to Ezra.

"Thanks, Em." Aria said with sarcasm.

"Well, we are all going to be tormented, so we might as well be tormented together." Hanna stated.

"Look, I think you all need to start thinking back at who would want Alison to suffer most. Who did she do the really bad things to?" Ezra asked, obviously trying to help them out.

"There are a lot of horror stories of Ali. She made a lot of lives a living hell. Including our own, sometimes." Spencer explained.

"She was cruel to you all, but yet, you were still her friends?" Ezra asked confused.

"Well, the cruel things she did to us were almost like lessons." Spencer said.

"We all need to just let this go for now and enjoy this weekend. I will enjoy it, if it kills me. I need liquor. And something strong." Hanna said, changing the subject. Spencer laughed.

"I'm with Hanna on that. Ezra and Toby could grill hamburgers?" Aria suggested in question.

"Yes, 'A' is on the prowl, Hanna wants liquor and Aria wants burgers. Sounds legit." Spencer said.

"Well, I'm not letting 'A' ruin this weekend." Hanna said.

"You know, strangely, I agree with you both. It's time for a party." Spencer said, shrugging her shoulders and smiling. The boys just shrugged off the 'A' business, and fired up the grill. As they engaged in conversation, the mood began to lighten, and the 'A' stuff was temporarily pushed to the back of their heads.


	11. Chapter 11

They were all laughing and carrying on, as Ezra and Toby grilled burgers. The girls were making light jokes of the two, just loud enough to be heard. Every now and then, Ezra would raise an eyebrow at the girls, then lean over and say something to Toby. Toby would chuckle and say something back. Which caused good humored, dagger eyes from the girls.

Hanna and Emily were sitting on an outdoor couch chair, Emily resting back against Hanna, laughing as they all talked. Hanna had her arms around Emily, smiling at Spencer as she told them a funny story about Toby nearly falling off the roof.

"Why did he almost fall off of the roof, you may ask?" Spencer said, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Why?" Aria giggled.

"Because he saw me through my window in a towel." Spencer let her voice rise. "Apparently someone was leaning over to get a better look, and nearly toppled headfirst onto cement."

"Hey! That was not the way it happened." Toby looked at the girls. "Actually, she was standing at her window, all smiling and throwing her looks at me all sexy like, and she walked off, knowing my eyes would follow. So it's actually her fault."

"Unbelievable!" Spencer gawked. The girls burst out into laughter.

"The burgers are ready!" Ezra exclaimed. They all got up, eager to eat a good meal. Hanna was getting up after Emily, when her phone vibrated. She looked down, and her heart sunk. She opened the message.

'_So you decided you're gay now? Never shared any kisses with me._

_ -A'_

Hanna wanted to just put her phone away. But she knew the right thing to do, was to tell them about the message. She made a plate, a burger and chips, then sat down at the outside table. As soon as the girls sat down, she grabbed her phone and pulled the message up.

"Ok so I just got a message from 'A'. Take a look everyone." She had annoyance in her voice as she handed her phone to Emily and motioned her to pass it around.

"It looks like this 'A' person is out to get to you emotionally." Ezra said, after reading the text.

"Well they always tend to do a great job!" Hanna said with sarcasm, holding two thumbs up. Emily put her hand on Hanna's and gave her a reassuring look. Hanna just shook her head.

"Just try not to let it get to you Hanna. That's what I did when 'A' sent me little threats about him." Aria pushed Ezra playfully.

"I know, I know. I am going to enjoy this burger, my chips, and the day. I am not letting 'A' ruin our little vacation!" Hanna said with a grim smile. Emily put her hand on the back of Hanna's neck and gently scratched the back of her neck. Hanna relaxed.

They ate and talked, about anything and everything. They laughed as Ezra told them funny stories about Aria and himself. Aria just rolled her eyes playfully and threw in her own stories as well. They all were having a good day, and letting the 'A' stuff slip away.

That night, they all sat around the lake house living room, enjoying drinks and talking. Aria and Ezra had just gotten up to grab something from the kitchen, when a shadow slinked by the window near where they had been sitting. Emily tensed up.

"Did you see that?" She asked, looking at them all.

"I totally saw that." Hanna answered, standing up.

"What?" Aria looked at the window they were all staring at.

"Someone just walked by the window." Spencer said, walking to the window. She looked at them, then turned back to the window. She flung open the curtain. Nothing but darkness.

"Let's go!" Aria became bold and began walking toward the door. Instead of resisting, the girls followed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't you think Toby and I should walk out first?" Ezra asked. He stepped in front of them, along with Toby, and unlocked the front door. Ezra and Toby stepped out, looking around. The girls followed after them, cautiously looking around for any sign of movement. A horn honked.

"My car!" Spencer said running around the side of the lake house. They all followed behind her. They had taken Spencer's car and Aria's car to the lake house. When they reached the two cars, they stopped abruptly. Both car's headlights were on.

"My doors were locked." Aria managed to speak.

"So were mine." Spencer said looking at Aria. The two walked to their cars and opened the doors. The inside lights came on when they opened the doors. They gasped. Spencer turned to look at them, but Aria just stood there staring inside of her car. The rest of them walked over.

"What the hell?" Hanna asked, upon seeing pictures scattered everywhere.

"Can you say deja vu?" Spencer said, shaking her head. She slammed her door and leaned against her car.

The girl's phones beeped. They looked around at each other, then at their phones. An unknown sender. They were nervous, but opened the text anyway.

_'Deja vu, it is bitches. Like anything you see? I know I sure did._

_ -A'_

Aria and Spencer showed Ezra and Toby the text. Then Ezra saw the pictures. There were dozens and dozens of pictures of them all grilling out that day, the picture of Hanna and Emily asleep, pictures of the girls at Ali's open grave. Pictures of Toby and Spencer. There were even pictures of Ezra and Aria in his apartment. Emily noted pictures of her and Hanna kissing in several different places. She blushed when she saw a picture of them, Hanna on top of her, kissing her. At least they had clothes on.

"This was not too long ago." Spencer said, shoving a picture in Toby's face. It was a picture of them, in Spencer's room. She had on his shirt, and he had on only a towel. Hanna and Emily knew it was from a couple of months ago when the plumbing was messed up.

"How could someone get into our cars? They don't have a key, the windows don't look tampered with." Aria was racking her brain, trying to find a solution.

"What if they do?" Emily asked. "What if they have a key? 'A' is always talking about being everywhere and seeing everything. Knowing everything. What if some how they got a key to our cars?"

Aria was about to speak, but movement to their right stopped her. Heads turned to see someone at the edge of the wooded area. The person turned to run, but Ezra had already taken off running in that direction. Aria yelled, and ran after him, along with the rest of the girls and Toby. They heard a loud thud, and some yelling. To Hanna's shock, she recognized Luca's voice.


	12. Chapter 12

"Look, I can explain!" Lucas was yelling frantically as the girls ran up.

"Well you better start," Ezra exclaimed angrily, holding Lucas to the ground.

"What the hell Lucas! I knew Ali screwed up your life, but all of this?" Hanna asked furious.

"Whoa, all of what?" Lucas asked.

"The texts, Mona, the pictures, the stalking.. You're on the 'A' team? I thought you were a friend. But now I totally get it." Hanna yelled. "I'm going to kill you!" She lunged at him. Emily grabbed her and held her still.

"What pictures? Look Hanna, I can explain. Caleb-" Lucas started.

"CALEB!" Hanna cut him off. "I should have known he was in on this too!"

"No, no, NO! If you would let ME talk, I was going to say that Caleb called me yesterday. He told me I owed him for blowing his money on that bet. He called your mom, trying to figure out where you were. She told him you were with your friends on vacation. From the way he talked, she was very blunt with him and told him you weren't interested in him anymore. He asked me to come up here and find out what you were doing and who you were with. He said that he saw you holding Emily's hand, but thought it was just a cover up. He thought you were here with another guy. And you're obviously not." Lucas explained, nodding at Emily.

"So you were SPYING on me?" Hanna gaped at him.

"Then I heard the horn, and you all came running, so I figured something, that I wanted no part of, was up. So I ran. Or tried to anyway, until Mister Justice here tackled me to the ground." He gave Ezra a dirty look. Ezra just glared at him.

"You know we could have you arrested." Spencer said surely.

"Yea, you could. But I hope you clean up whatever is in those cars first. By the look on your faces when you saw what was in there, it wasn't something you want seen." He looked at Hanna. "So how did it go with the letter?"

"We haven't taken it in yet." She played along, her voice sour.

"That's with holding evidence. I could tell them it's buried in Spencer's backyard." Lucas said.

"Go ahead. Tell them." Hanna snapped.

"Hanna, calm down." Emily said, grabbing her hand. "Lucas, you need to go. Tell Caleb that if this doesn't stop, Hanna will get a restraining order and charge him with harassment. And you're lucky we aren't calling the police."

"She's right. But you can bet your ass I will call them if I ever see you following or spying on us again." Spencer said with a threatening tone.

"I'll relay the message." Lucas said, stomping off. He turned back, and looked at Hanna. "Oh, and Hanna?"

"What?" She asked, clearly annoyed.

"Maybe YOU should be careful. All of you. Someone knows all of your little secrets. And they don't like to play nice." He said, then turned away and walked off.

"What the hell was that?" Ezra asked. "We should have called the police."

"Yea, and tell them what? Ezra, we've had a couple of drinks and we're underage still. Not to mention these pictures scattered everywhere. Now you see what we deal with. No one to help us but ourselves." Aria shook her head. The girls jumped when their phones beeped.

_'No cops? Good girls. You know how those detectives are, they never let anything go, until they get something they want. Remember that Hanna?_

_ -A'_

"What..." Spencer realized what it meant. She looked at Hanna, who looked furious.

"Yes, 'A', I remember my mother having to sleep with that dumb ass of a detective to get me off the hook for shop lifting. Ha, how could I forget?" She half yelled at no one, but the girls knew she was yelling at 'A'.

"Hanna, don't let it get to you. 'A' has said things to me about me being like my dad." Aria said, grabbing Ezra's hand.

"You're not like your dad, Aria." Emily said to her, trying to sound reassuring.

"Can we just go inside?" Toby asked. "I am beginning to feel really paranoid just standing out here beside the woods, with no one watching the house."

"I agree," Spencer said, "let's go inside and try to get some sleep."

"Yea, try." Hanna said, sarcasm coating her voice thickly.

They all went back inside, said quick goodnights, and got into their beds. Hanna was laying beside Emily, trying to fall asleep, when she realized it just wasn't happening. She glanced at the clock. Nearly midnight. It was going to be a long night.

"Em?" Hanna asked quietly.

"Yea?" Emily responded.

"What was it like with Alison? You know, when we weren't around." Hanna asked.

"Well... She was different. Sometimes, she dropped the whole 'I'm the leader of this clique' attitude and was just, Ali. She treated me a lot different when it was just us two." Emily's mind drifted back to one day when Ali was still alive. She began telling Hanna about the day.

_The sun was bright, blazing through the window, as the two girls lay on Emily's bed. Ali was staring at her, with her head cocked to the side, almost as if trying to figure out something. Emily smiled._

_"What is it?" Emily asked her, touching her hand. Ali slid her hand away, only to place it on top of Emily's hand._

_"Emily. There's something about you that no one sees. No one ever notices. Not Aria, not Spencer, not Hanna. Not the boys at school, nor the girls. But I see it. I see everything." Ali said with a smile._

_"Well, what do you see?" Emily questioned, with a slight smile._

_"Beauty. Someone, who knows what they are, but is too afraid to be it. Emily, don't hide who you are. There's nothing to be ashamed of. You're really special, Emily." With that, Ali leaned over and pecked her lips. Emily watched as she moved from the bed, and walked toward the door._

_"It's always just a kiss, Em. But it's always with me." Ali purred as she walked away. Emily sat there, trying to think straight, as she heard her front door close gently. She walked to her window, and watched Ali walk home._

"Why do you think she did that?" Hanna asked, rolling toward Emily and looking into her eyes.

"I think, she was telling me to be myself. To not be afraid or ashamed of who I am. But I also think that she knew by giving me that attention, she owned me in a way. Like I was hers to kiss when there wasn't anyone else. She played games by nature." Emily said.

"She was right though," Hanna whispered.

"About what?" Emily asked.

"You are special. And beautiful. No one should be afraid to be their self." Hanna said, and before Emily could respond, Hanna kissed her. It was a long, soft kiss. She pulled back and put a hand to Emily's face.

"Do you miss her?" Hanna asked.

"I do miss her as a friend. But I don't miss her like that, and I don't miss the way she was so cruel to us sometimes. That was our problem. She knew too much about us. We knew barely anything about her." Emily frowned.

"Secret wise, anyway. We knew a lot about each other, but she knew our secrets. We didn't know many of hers." Hanna pondered.

"I think she knew something bad was going to happen. Maybe she knew, and that's why she only told us fractions here and there." Emily said, pulling Hanna toward her.

"Do you ever wonder, what would have happened that night, if we wouldn't have been drinking?" Hanna asked, slight regret in her voice.

"I try not to. It's just another thing to feel bad about. I wish I knew who killed Ali. And I wish I knew who 'A' was. But Hanna, I feel like we have a long way to go. And Caleb isn't helping, getting Lucas to sneak up here and pull that little stunt. Who knows, maybe he-" Emily was cut off by the sound of something falling upstairs.

"What now?" Hanna groaned, as they jumped up to see what was going on.


	13. Chapter 13

Before Hanna and Emily even reached the stairs, they heard Aria yelp. They ran quickly up the stairs, and saw Spencer and Toby rushing down the hall toward the room Aria and Ezra were in. Hanna and Emily skidded to a stop at the door, and gasped at what they saw.

Aria's face was white as a ghost. She looked terrified. Ezra looked shaken up a bit, but he was trying to comfort Aria. He was holding her, and had his lips pressed against her forehead. Aria was staring at the window, holding back tears.

The room was covered in red, cut out A shapes. On the mirror, attached to the dresser, there was a message in red lipstick. it read:

_'I see you._

_ -A'_

"They were in here, 'A' was... in here. While we were sleeping." Aria was looking at them, shaking her head.

"We woke up when we heard them trip over something. Whoever it was, they were wearing a black hoodie. They saw us waking up, and they went out of the window." Ezra said, now wide awake.

"Guys, I don't feel safe anymore. This is never going to end. 'A' is going to haunt us forever. We're no closer to figuring out who 'A' is, than we were with Mona. It's going to be like this over and over, until one day, something really bad is going to happen." Aria was showing defeat.

"No, stop. Just stop." Spencer said. "Where's my team Sparia? You are brave, little one. You're not scared, and you certainly aren't going to let 'A' get to you. Aria, you have to realize, this is serious, and we can't let 'A' push us around."

"She's right. 'A' is just waiting for us to crack." Emily spoke up. Their phones beeped. Hanna rolled her eyes in disgust.

_'All the kings horses, and all the kings men, couldn't put Humpty back together again. Once you crack, I've got you._

_ -A'_

"Just great!" Aria threw herself back onto the bed. She huffed out an angry breath. She propped herself up on her elbows. "You know what, Spence? You're right. This is team Sparia, and I am not going to crack. I am going to figure out who 'A' is, even if it drives me totally insane!"

"That's the spirit!" Hanna exclaimed sarcastically. "Don't feel bad Aria, we're all a little insane."

"Thanks, Hanna. I feel so much better now." Aria said, with sarcasm in her voice. But she smiled. Hanna and Emily grinned. Spencer chuckled.

"We're not sleeping anytime soon, why not go downstairs, and rack our brains about this shit." Hanna smiled. She put her arm around Emily, and they walked back to the stairs. Spencer, Toby, Aria, and Ezra followed.

They all sat around, in the downstairs living room. Hanna and Emily curled up to one another as they all talked. Emily was sitting up straight, while Hanna was curled up to her. She had her head on Emily's chest, and one leg over her lap. She put one arm around her neck, and closed her eyes, taking in the moment.

Despite being terrorized by 'A', Hanna was content. She was here, with her best friends. She was with the person she loved. Wow, yea she just said loved in her head. She did love Emily. Even though everyday was another 'A' nightmare, Hanna wasn't so concerned about it at the moment. She was just happy, feeling Emily breathe against her.

"I think that we should flee the country." Aria said jokingly, as Ezra rested his head in her lap. She began stroking his face out of habit.

"Yea because that's the thing to do." Toby laughed. Spencer laughed too, as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Or we could just go to Mexico." Hanna added, with a serious face. They all burst into laughter.

"Yea, Hanna no offense, but you wouldn't last five minutes in Mexico." Spencer laughed.

"I know." Hanna smiled. She felt Emily rest her hand on her leg. Hanna relaxed at her touch. Emily made everything so much easier.

"Sometimes I think I could just jump into the ocean and swim away." Emily said.

"Too far, you'd drown." Spencer explained.

"I know, I'd get tired, I'd never make it to-" Emily started.

"Ooooooo! You'd be a sexy mermaid." Hanna raised an eyebrow. They all, once again, burst into laughter. Emily blushed.

"You would," Emily stated, squeezing Hanna's hand.

"Okay, so what do you think all the A shapes even mean? Is 'A' trying to tell us that, yes, there is more than one person?" Aria asked.

"I think that catching Mona was definitely planned... And that was only the beginning." Spencer sighed.

"So whoever is doing this, wanted us to think Mona was 'A'. But they also wanted us to think it was over. We let our guard drop slightly, and then BAM! That night Em, here, is dragged off by psycho and taken to Ali's open grave. Besides setting us up, and proving that maybe, just maybe, Garrett isn't as guilty as we thought, what was the purpose?" Hanna reeled off her thoughts.

"That's a good point, but honestly, I think the purpose was to show us 'A' is still in control. I mean, look at all of this. 'A' is obviously satisfied with what they're doing, but they are gettinng brave. Aria and Ezra could have caught them tonight." Spencer explained.

"I think 'A' has always been brave." This time Aria sighed as she spoke. "I don't have a clue how we're supposed to catch 'A'. They are too careful. Even when pulling stunts like the one upstairs."

"And to make matters worse, we still haven't found out who that girl was at the masquerade ball." Emily added.

"Girl at the masquerade ball?" Ezra asked.

"Yea, remember? The one I told you about who was talking to Jenna and Lucas?" Aria asked.

"Oh, yea. You know, I can't believe Jenna is lying to everyone about her surgery. Someone is going to catch her." Ezra said surely.

"I... uh.. kind of busted her bubble." Toby said grimacing.

"What?" Spencer asked, lifting her head to look at him.

"Yea, well, she asked me to drive her somewhere. I told her, "Why should I? According to some people, you drive around town all by yourself like a big girl." You should have seen the look on her face." Toby said.

"Oh my God! Toby!" Spencer exclaimed in shock.

"I know, I know. I shouldn't have said anything, but I'm sick of her trying to run my life and make me her little slave." Toby's anger showed in his voice.

"Okay, okay. So now Jenna knows that people know. She doesn't necessarily know that we know." Aria said. "I mean I'm sure she has her suspicions, but if she's as careful as she thinks, she'll know it wasn't one of us that saw her."

"Do you think she would know it was Holden?" Hanna asked Aria.

"I don't think so. I don't think she would suspect him to tell me that he saw her driving. Hopefully she doesn't think we're that good of friends." Aria responded.

"And Holden is the guy who covered for you when your parents were on their kill streak?" Ezra asked playfully. Aria rolled her eyes.

"That's the one," Aria said, playfully thumping his hand.

"I just hope we figure out who that girl is. I guess asking Lucas is out of the question?" Spencer asked Hanna.

"Definitely out of the question." Hanna smirked, but relaxed when she felt Emily kiss the top of her head. She snuggled closer to Emily, as the girls talked up a plan to find the mystery girl.


	14. Chapter 14

"How do we get Jenna to crack?" Emily was asking, as they sat around Hanna's kitchen.

"I haven't figured it out yet, but I will." Spencer said, trying to think clearly. The girls were so close to getting Jenna scared. Ever since the incident with the earring, they realized it wasn't a coincidence what Holden had said about seeing her driving around. Now they knew she wasn't blind. And the girls were using that as black mail.

"We have to be careful, guys." Aria spoke up. " We can't get caught."

"I still need to get Garrett to talk. He won't tell me anything." Spencer said shaking her head.

"Wait..." Hanna mumbled, trailing off.

"What is it Hanna?" Emily asked with concern.

"You remember how your mom totally freaked when she found out you were seeing Garrett at the jail house?" Hanna asked Spencer.

"Yea, what about it?" Spencer asked.

"What if Garrett is black mailing your mom?" Before Spencer could speak, Hanna continued. "What if he told her you were involved, and that's why you had been coming to see him? That if she would be his lawyer, he wouldn't mention you in his trial?"

"Oh my God." Spencer's face was white.

"That is so not a good thing. What if Hanna's right? Aria asked, panic in her voice.

"Well let's not jump to conclusions. It might not even be like that." Emily said quickly.

"What else would it be like? The night my mom confronted me in my room, she mentioned that me going to see him made me look like a suspect. She made it perfectly clear she thought he was guilty." Spencer put her head in her hands.

"Look, not to change the subject or anything, but does anyone besides me think it's suspicious that Meredith told me that earring wasn't hers?" Aria was fustrated.

"Definitely suspicious. If it wasn't hers, than who else?" Hanna asked.

"Oh my... Guys come on. We all know how Ali was. What if it was HER earring? She liked to stir up shit everywhere she went. What if she threw that pair of earrings down onto that couch to get you pumped up and pissed off?" Spencer asked, raising her head.

"That's a possibility. It actually makes sense. And now, because I told the truth, my dad is lunching with the bitch." Aria scoffed. "How romantic."

"We need to get a plan up. This has got to end. Now." Hanna said. "I can't get shit out of Mona, except here and there pieces that barely make any sense. Now Caleb's back, and my oh my, he's Mister Sketch Monster. I don't know." Hanna threw her hands up in the air and walked to the fridge.

"Caleb does have good motive though in stalking you. He may not even be on the 'A' team." Spencer said.

The girls continued talking for nearly two hours. Finally, Aria and Spencer stood up to go. Aria was staying the night with Ezra, and Spencer wanted to spend time with Toby. Hanna and Emily said goodbye, and walked upstairs to Hanna's room.

"What do you think about everything?" Emily asked.

"It's a load of crap." Hanna smiled.

"I figured." Emily smiled back, walking over to the bed. She leaned down to Hanna, and began kissing her. Hanna welcomed the kiss, pulling her down on top of her. Emily let out a giggle.

"You're so sexy when you do that." Hanna smiled.

"What?" Emily asked innocently.

"That damn giggle." Hanna responded, kissing her.

"Not as... sexy... as you." Emily said against her lips as they kissed. Emily and Hanna helped each other undress, and were kissing once again. Emily felt Hanna's hands on her back, pulling her closer as they layed down on the bed.

Hanna kissed her neck softly, and Emily felt chills. She felt Hanna's hand sneaking its way between her legs. She smiled. Emily let Hanna take over. Hanna let her hand find the spot that came so naturally with Emily, and watched as Emily shuddered.

After a few minutes of this, Emily pulled Hanna to her face and kissed her, to muffle the sounds of her pleasure. Hanna smiled against her lips. She let Emily take control, and their love making continued for another round.

Emily had Hanna's back curled up against her stomach. Hanna was out cold asleep, and Emily was getting there. She fell asleep so easily to Hanna's body, moving slightly, against her as she breathed. Emily was thinking about the events that had just occured when her cell phone beeped. She jumped.

Trying hard not to wake Hanna, Emily slid out of bed and grabbed her phone from the night stand. She closed her eyes, not wanting to open the text message from the unknown sender. She didn't even want to know what it was going to say. It wasn't going to be good. She opened it.

_'Em, Em, Em. And all I ever got was a kiss. You know what happens to the girls you do more than kiss. They all just disappear... Or die._

_ -A'_

Emily couldn't focus. She read the message over and over, panic creeping into her mind. What was that supposed to mean? Were they talking about her kiss with Ali, or was it literally someone else she had kissed? Emily nearly had a heart attack when Hanna touched her arm. She jumped.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Hanna asked, sleepily.

"Read." Emily said, shoving her cell phone at Hanna. Hanna squinted at the light, but took the phone and looked at the message. Her eyes got wide, and she looked back up at Emily with a shocked face

"What the hell? What does that even mean? 'A' is going to try and kill me? Well bring it bitch, because I am so ready to kick your ass." Hanna was nearly yelling out of the window.

"This is serious, Hanna." Emily said, sending ot an 'S.O.S' text to Aria and Spencer.

"You're right. It is." Hanna said, shaking her head and plopping down onto the bed.


	15. Chapter 15

It was nearly three-thirty a.m. The clock was _tick, tick, _ticking away. The girls sat around Hanna's bedroom, speechless. The text message was scary to them, because Hanna was now on 'A's radar even more than before. Hanna didn't even understand why.

"You're in danger." Spencer finally mumbled.

"All of us are always in danger." Hanna said, looking at her.

"Yea, but this text, 'A' just threatened you, outright threatened you. Usually 'A' threatens us as a group, but this was focused soley on you." Spencer explained.

"I know that!" Hanna said exasperated. "I just don't know why."

"Because of me." Emily spoke up. "Everything lately has been because of me."

"Em, it's not you. You didn't force this on me, I wanted it. 'A' is just trying to keep control of us by scaring us." Hanna said, touching her arm.

"I think that all of you need to stay together. You're safer in numbers." Ezra offered. Hanna had to smile because it was weird seeing him, Ezra who used to be her English teacher, sitting in her room.

"Why are you smiling?" Spencer half scolded.

"Because of him." Hanna pointed at Ezra. "It's weird seeing him in my room." The girls eased up as Ezra smiled and shook his head.

"You get a death threat," Ezra looked at Hanna, "and you're laughing about me being in your room. Unbelievable."

"Well believe it." Aria smiled half-heartedly.

"So what are we going to do?" Emily asked.

"I don't know yet. We are going to figure this out, Em. Don't worry." Spencer said, trying to reassure.

"We will. And ever since I remembered it was Jenna who lured me away to Ali's grave, we know for sure she has some part in this. Maybe we can use her to our advantage." Emily said, raising an eyebrow. That caught Hanna's attention.

"Use her to our advantage sounds really nice right now." Aria commented, as she let Ezra put his arms around her.

"You all are playing with fire." Ezra warned. "Just don't get burned." He gave Aria a disapproving look. The girls knew he was just concerned with their safety.

The girls all decided that it would be best for them all to stay at Hanna's house. Her mom was out of town, so Hanna gave Ezra the okay to stay the night. Hanna handed out blankets and pillows to them. Spencer, Aria, and Ezra set up a sleeping quarter in Hanna's living room. They were exhausted.

Upstairs, in Hanna's bedroom, Emily layed down on the bed. Hanna was standing by the window, looking at the moon glowing. It was shining on Hanna's face, giving her an eerily beautiful look. Emily sighed.

Hanna turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and they held the gaze. Both of them could see fear there. Fear of losing the other. But there was also something else in their gaze. Something that held them there, just staring into each other's eyes.

"Take me to the moon." Hanna said, still staring at Emily.

"Anywhere you want." Emily said back. Hanna walked away from the window, and got into bed. She layed face to face with Emily.

"What are we going to do?" Hanna asked, fighting the tears.

"We'll figure it out, we always do." Emily said, looking at her. Hanna just wanted to stay in her bed, with Emily beside her. She didn't want to ever get up.

"And if we don't?" Hanna asked, glancing away.

"We will." Emily responded, pulling the covers up to her chin. Hanna looked back up at Emily and just watched her eyes. A small smile formed across Emily's face.

"What?" She asked, still smiling.

"Nothing." Hanna said, still looking into her eyes.

"That's not 'nothing' face." Emily said jokingly.

"I love you, Emily." Hanna said, not missing a beat. Emily looked shocked.

"I love you, too." She said finally.

"Do you?" Hanna asked quietly.

"Yes I do. I just wasn't expecting you to say it first, actually." Emily's smile returned. Hanna felt her heart flip flop in her chest.

"Well I did." Hanna retorted.

"Yes, you did." Emily smiled. Hanna inched closer to Emily. They were face to face, arms around each other. Legs tangled up. That's how they fell asleep, with noses barely touching.

_"Look at this!" Emily exclaimed, smiling at Hanna from across the yard. She had found a red rose.  
"It's beautiful!" Hanna called back with a smile. Emily thought that nothing could ruin this day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. Hanna looked beautiful in her white sundress. Emily went over to snag a kiss. _

_Right as their lips were about to touch, Hanna was screaming. Emily's eyes flew open, to see that it was dark, night. Hanna was being drug across the ground by a person in a black hoodie. She was screaming for Emily._

_Emily ran after them. But the faster she ran, the farther away she got. Finally, Hanna had disappeared completely, and Emily was in the quiet darkness. Alone. Something beeped loudly and made her jump. She realized she was wearing jeans, and she fished in her pocket for her phone. It was a text from 'A'._

_'Another one bites the dust._

_ -A'_

_Emily screamed._

"Em! Emily!" Hanna was shaking her. Emily bolted up, looking at Hanna.

"Oh my... Hanna it was terrible, the worst... worst nightmare of my life." Emily said, shaking. Hanna could feel her trembling.

"It's ok, Em. It was just a bad dream." Hanna said, rubbing her back.

"It was... horrible." Emily said, turning her head toward the window. The sky was still dark, but the blue-ish tint of morning was showing through.

"Are you okay now?" Hanna asked, putting her face close to Emily's.

"No. Everything was perfect, and then 'A' was dragging you off, and it was dark. I got a text and you were gone. Just like that. Just like..." Emily trailed off.

"Maya didn't know what was happening like I do." Hanna said. "I know to watch my back at all times and to stay with someone twenty-four seven. Emily, I promise. Okay? Nothing is going to happen to me."

"Please, please, Hanna," Emily pleaded, cuddling up to her, "don't make promises you can't keep."


	16. Chapter 16

Things were going terrible. Hanna was worried about Emily. Emily was worried about Hanna. Aria and Spencer were worried about Hanna. Hanna just wanted everyone to drop it and stop worrying so much. But how could they, when 'A' was torturing them with all this madness? All Hanna could think about was that stupid threat that 'A' sent Emily about her.

"I can't believe you confronted Jenna. Just stood there in front of her car, and gave her a piece of your mind." Spencer half laughed.

"Yea, well. I didn't see any of you running all up at once to help." Hanna joked, glancing at the girls.

"Hey, look," Aria started, "you are 'Miss Brave Slaps Off the Bitch's Glasses', ok? You knew how to handle Jenna, and Emily told us not to stop you."

"I figured you wouldn't let us stop you." Emily shrugged with a smile.

"You got that right. Like I said, I'm done. I'm done playing games with 'A'. In fact, I don't think I even believe Jenna's sob story." Hanna said, the annoyance in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked curiously.

"Come on, Spence. If she was really as terrified of 'A' as she acted, why was she driving around where she could get caught?" Hanna asked, cocking her head.

"Maybe she figured that since she was in another town, 'A' wouldn't find out?" Aria threw the idea out into the conversation.

"If she's really being tortured by 'A' like she says, she would know better. She would go thirty states over to go for a drive. Don't you guys see? Jenna would know just as well as us four know, that 'A' sees everything. If she was really scared of 'A', she wouldn't be driving." Emily spoke up.

"What if she was just being careless with new found freedom? I mean she's been blind and now she can see." Aria said, looking at them.

"I still don't buy it. Hanna's right. We have to keep an eye on her." Spencer said surely.

"Thank you!" Hanna said, throwing up her hands. "I'm telling all of you, something isn't right. And for me to be saying that, something ISN'T right."

"We know, Hanna." Emily said softly. "We have got to figure out how 'A' is staying one step ahead of us."

"Maybe our rooms are bugged.' Aria joked. The girls eyes grew wide.

"Aria!" Spencer exclaimed, looking at Aria as if she were crazy.

"What? It was a joke." Aria half laughed.

"What if they do have our rooms bugged?" Spencer was panicking.

"Spence, calm down. Our rooms are NOT bugged." Hanna shook her head. "That's crazy!"

"Don't you see, Hanna?" Spencer's voice rose. "This IS crazy! All of this! 'A' has to be doing something, because they know! They always know what we're doing, when, how, why. It's so precisely planned out and so carefully played out. Whoever this is, they ARE crazy!"

"Or just really fucking smart." Hanna snorted.

"That too." Spencer said, shaking her head.

"Guys, we have got to try to get our heads around this for a little while. We have got to think about what to do with Jenna." Aria said. The girls knew Aria was right.

Emily was sitting on the couch with Spencer, looking on the computer, trying to find shops near Rosewood that sold Black Swan dresses. Emily felt eyes, and looked up to see Hanna staring at her. Emily could feel the heat on her face as she blushed. She noticed Hanna smile slightly.

Emily looked up again, and locked eyes with Hanna. Her blue eyes were shining in the sunlight. Hanna smirked, and bit her bottom lip. Emily felt a wanting building up inside of her. For Hanna. She wanted to play sexy games? Emily wanted to laugh.

Emily kept looking at Hanna, while cocking her head slightly, and letting a slight, but sexy, smile slide across her lips. Now it was Hanna who was blushing slightly, and fidgeting in the chair she was sitting in. Emily smiled on the inside.

Hanna couldn't take it. She glanced away, but couldn't help herself when her eyes darted straight back to Emily's face. That sexy smile sitting on her lips. Hanna knew she had started it. Now she wanted Emily. All to herself. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees. She rested her chin lightly on her hand. She kept her eyes glued to Emily.

She was so beautiful. Hanna couldn't imagine ever seeing beauty in anything else in her life. Emily had ruined her. Hanna knew it, too, as she watched her girlfriend return to normal posture, giving Hanna one last grin, before continuing helping Spencer on the computer. Hanna let her eyes look away.

Staring at the floor, her thoughts wandered. She had tried to seem unphased by 'A's threat, but it kept creeping into the back of her mind. What was 'A' going to do next? Whoever 'A' is, would they really kill one of us? The body parts of Ali, are they even real? Hanna wasn't sure what to believe as the thoughts reeled. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the back door opened. Hanna gasped. Spencer and Emily turned toward the back door, and Aria's head snapped up from the kitchen counter, where she was making coffee.

A hooded figure, stood in the doorway. With a gun. Hanna couldn't think, or breathe. The figure pointed it at the roof and fired. Hanna saw the bright pinkish orange flame, sparkling around everywhere. She yelped when a spark landed on her arm. Smoke began to fill the room, and the _pop, pop, pop_ sound of the flare gun could be heard shooting again.

Emily and Hanna had found each other, and dashed out of the back door. They looked around frantically, but the hooded person was gone. Aria and Spencer came running out coughing, wide eyed, and scared. Emily and Hanna ran to them.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked them, grabbing Spencer and Aria's arms.

"Yea, I'm ok. Spence?" Aria looked at Spencer.

"I am not okay, someone just ATTACKED us in my house!" Spencer was furious. They heard a door slam.

"What the hell happened, Spencer?" Melissia was running toward them from the loft.

"Somebody just opened the back door and shot a flare gun in the house!" Spencer was yelling.

"Spence! The house!" Hanna ran toward it, pointing. There were flames in the sitting area near the couch.

"Shit!" Spencer yelled, following Hanna.

"Wait!" Melissia yelled, going after them. Aria and Emily, who was calling 911, ran after them.

Spencer and Melissia were trying to throw cups of water on the fire, while the girls were smacking the flames with a blanket. Finally, the flames died out. The police arrived.

"So a person, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, just opened the back door and began shooting?" The officer who was taking their statement asked.

"Yes." Spencer said surely. Just then, her mom came barreling through the door.

"What happened? Are you all okay?" Veronica asked, looking at her two daughters, and the girls

"Yes, we are all okay, if by okay you mean we were nearly gunned down by a flare gun!" Spencer snapped. She recovered, putting a hand to her head. "Mom, I'm sorry. Yes, we are okay, just really freaked out."

Their phones beeped. The girls just looked at each other. Veronica and Melissia looked at the girls questioningly. Without answer, the girls tried to appear normal, and walked outside quietly. They all opened their phones.

_'What do you do when the thing that symbolizes help, is the thing doing harm? Remember this, bitches: Next time, it won't be a flare in the chamber._

_ -A'_

The girls looked at each other. Hanna shook her head and looked away. They all knew that 'A' was going to drive them crazy. If they weren't killed first, that is.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone, I know that I have been trying to keep the story like the show, so bear with me on this chapter ! My upcoming chapters will still go along with the show, but Ezra's situation will too ! Hope you all enjoy this ch !**

** ~Kaila**

* * *

"Spencer, you have to talk to me." Veronica kept pressing Spencer about the unknown person that shot the flare gun into the house.

"Mom, I don't know what you want me to say. If I knew who it was, you better believe I would be telling the police." Spencer said, sipping her coffee.

"Spencer, if someone is after you and your friends and I want to know-"

"It was probably someone after YOU, Mom. Ever think of that? Someone mad at you, for defending Garrett. They are probably just trying to scare you off his case." Spencer countered.

"You really think that?" Veronica asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't know, but it's possible." Spencer said quietly, showing that she wasn't going to talk about it anymore.

"You're right." Veronica said giving up, as she walked away.

"My mom is asking questions." Spencer said, looking at the girls.

"Welcome to the club. My mom's been asking questions." Hanna mumbled, shaking her head.

"Do any of you even buy this 'A' bullshit? I mean, do you ever wonder if these are just idle threats and not so life threatening actions to keep us on our toes?" Spencer asked.

"People have died." Emily said, hollowly, as she turned toward Hanna. "And now Hanna's on 'A's radar. I am not going to let 'A' hurt her."

"None of us are, Em." Aria spoke up. "Hanna is going to be fine. Think about what Spencer said. If this was really about murder, wouldn't one of us be dead already? You don't play a murderous game with people this long, and all four of them still be alive."

"But we don't know that! We don't know anything about 'A' like we thought we did. Everything's different now. Mona knows, God, I know she knows. But I can't get her to tell me a damn thing, except totally confusing sentences here and there. It's like she is telling me "Oh I know who it is, but you'll never know until they want you to." Shit, maybe not even then." Hanna explained, anger in her voice.

"Hanna's right. This could all just be a huge game. Make us feel safe, torture us. We have to not only watch Hanna, but each other. As sick and twisted as 'A' is, they could make those threats to Hanna, but just as well take action on any one of us." Spencer ran a hand through her hair. Aria's phone beeped.

She read the text, her eyes growing big. Without another word, she passed the phone to Spencer. Spencer read it out loud.

_'Do you ever wish life had a set of brakes to slow it down? What happens when they get cut?_

_ -A'_

Aria jumped when her phone rang. Spencer handed it to her.

"Hello?" She answered cautiously.

"What? Okay, I'm on my way." Aria's eyes were filling with tears.

"What?" Hanna asked quickly.

"Ezra's in the hospital. He got into a wreck." Aria was panicking.

"Come on," Spencer said, "I'll drive."

The girls rushed to the hospital, and Aria ran to the front reception desk. As soon as she found what his room number was, she rushed to the elevator. Hanna, Emily, and Spencer followed quickly behind her.

"It's going to be okay Aria." Emily said as Aria hit the second floor button. She was silent as the elevator went up, and then stopped. As soon as the doors opened, she rushed out and ran to his room.

"Who are you?" A nurse asked as Aria and the girls rushed in.

"His girlfriend." Aria snapped.

"We're family." Spencer snapped as they walked in behind her. Ezra had piped up at the sound of Aria's voice.

He was laying there, leg in a cast. His arm was bandaged from the elbow to his wrist. There was a bandage just above his eyebrow, and cuts all along his face. His neck had a few scratches, and his chest as well, from what the girls could see.

"What happened?" Aria asked. Ezra stayed quiet, until the nurse left the room.

"My brake line was cut." He sat, raising his eyebrows.

"Cut?" Aria asked, eyes widening.

"Cut." Ezra responded. "I was riding along, and there was a car stopped at a red light. I tried to stop, but nothing happened. So I swerved and hit a tree. Broke my leg in two places, the windshield shattered and glass cut me up a bit."

"A bit? And your arm?" Aria asked, grabbing his other hand.

"When the windshield busted, a big piece of glass slashed my arm. The doctor said a half a centimeter deeper, and I would have bled to death." Ezra said, looking down at his arm.

"You know this wasn't an accident." Spencer spoke, remembering 'A's message.

"I figured as much." Ezra said, with a slight chuckle.

"No. No laughing, this isn't laughable. This is bad, really bad." Aria had let go of his hand and was pacing.

"I'm fine." Ezra said soothingly.

"You are not fine!" Aria exclaimed. "Your leg is broken, your arm cut open, and you are laying in a hospital bed. You're cut up, and you could have died. All because of me."

"Don't do that." Ezra said.

"He's right, Aria. Now isn't the time for panic." Emily tried to comfort her.

"Hello! Panicking." Aria looked at them crazily.

"Well stop. It's okay. The point is I'm okay. And everyone knows that cutting someone's brake line is a scare tactic, not always a kill tactic." Spencer offered.

"She's right. Listen to her, Aria. Maybe this person was just trying to scare me." Ezra said.

"Am I interrupting something?" A voice made Aria cringe. It was Jackie.

"Yea, you kind of are." Hanna grabbed Jackie's arm roughly and pulled her into the hallway.

"Let go of me!" Jackie hissed.

"Listen here, bitch." Hanna went off. "Now Aria is freshly eighteen, which means she is legal. Obviously Ezra is madly in love with her, because he proposed. So why don't you get your home wrecking ass out of here, and never come back."

"He... proposed?" Jackie asked, a look of dread upon her face.

"Did I stutter? Yes he proposed and even said how happy he was to finally be IN love with someone. Isn't that sweet? Now shoo. Go throw yourself at someone else's man." Hanna spat.

"Hmmm, like yours?" Jackie countered.

"If by my man, you mean woman. Gay now, sweetie. And you touch Emily, you won't have any fingers." Hanna threatened.

"Whatever. Tell her she can have him." Jackie stormed off.

"What did you say?" Aria asked, as Hanna walked back in the room.

"What, you all didn't hear?" Hanna asked, with a smile.

"Not really." Spencer said.

"Well, I told her you were eighteen, that Ezra was madly in love with you considering he proposed, and that she needed to take her home wrecking ass somewhere else." Hanna said with a smile.

"You did not." Aria said, grinning.

"Oh yes I did, and I told her to go throw herself at someone else's man, to which she got pissed and countered back something about, "Hmm, like yours?". So I told her by man she means woman, and if she touched Em, she will not have any fingers left." Hanna looked at Emily, who was blushing with a smile.

"Oh my. You really let her have it, didn't you?" Ezra asked, smiling. "Except Aria is still seventeen, and I haven't proposed. Yet." The girls eyes got huge and Aria blushed now.

"Yet?" Spencer teased.

"You did get the madly in love with her part right, though. That, I am." Ezra said seriously, and Aria melted. Emily grabbed Hanna's hand and squeezed it. They both smiled.


	18. Chapter 18

**This is a little more calm than the past few chapters, and it's hard for me to keep up with the show and update so I am trying to keep things as close to the show as possible. But I don't want to only update once a week, so we will see where PLL takes the story ! Thanks to my readers ! **

** ~Kaila**

* * *

"I'm glad Ezra is okay. Could you imagine what it would do to Aria if she-" Emily started.

"Don't even say it." Hanna said quickly, cutting her off. "It gives me the heebie jeebies thinking about it."

"Do you really think they'll last forever?" Emily, being the realistic thinker, asked. She was fiddling with the latch on Hanna's bedroom window.

"Aria and Ezra?" Hanna asked.

"Yea." Emily responded, looking out of the window.

"I think they will, I mean look at all they've been through. He clearly loves her." Hanna smiled slightly, walking to the window and slipping her arms around Emily.

"Everyone who loves us or cares about us gets hurt." Emily said hollowly, keeping her eyes on the night coming in.

"Em, they will be fine. So will we. So will Spence and Toby. We have made it this far. Personally, I'm terrified of what 'A' is capable of, but only because they hide. If she would come to us, I'd KILL her. Him. It, whoever!" Hanna mumbled against Emily's neck.

"I don't usually agree with murder," Emily said, "but I'd make an exception." She turned, nose wrinkled, to face Hanna. Hanna let a mischevious smirk cross her face.

"God, this is how people wind up on those shows where they snap and kill their husbands." Hanna fussed. Emily let out a snicker.

"Enough of that." Emily said, putting her hands on Hanna's hips and pulling her close. "I want some of you."

"You can have all of me. Fair enough?" Hanna teased.

"Oh yes." Emily said, leaning forward to kiss Hanna. Hanna pulled Emily closer, smiling as she embraced the kiss.

"Dinner." Hanna managed to say through the kisses.

"Dinner?" Emily pulled her head back and smiled.

"What can I say? You make my mouth water." Hanna cooed.

"Now that was sexy." Emily teased. "What are we going to have for dinner?"

"Well see, I have a surprise!" Hanna moved swiftly behind Emily, leaned around to kiss her cheek, then covered her eyes with her hands.

"Really? Hanna, I would rather not fall down the stairs." Emily teased.

"Do you trust me?" Hanna whispered, with a sexy tone, into Emily's ear.

"Yes." Emily said hoarsely.

"Okay baby, then let me lead you." Hanna said, walking her out of the room. "Okay, there's a step. Another. No not that far!" Hanna giggled as she led Emily, who was giggling as well, down to the kitchen. Once past the stairs and into the kitchen, Hanna stopped Emily. She let her hands drop from Emily's eyes.

Emily was speechless. There was a beautiful white satin table cloth on the kitchen table. Wine glasses, and plates were sat carefully, along with silverware. Napkins sat beside the plates, under the silverware. There were candles lit in the middle of the table, and around the kitchen. Everything sparkled.

"It's beautiful. You did all this? Alone?" Emily looked at Hanna with wide eyes.

"Yes. Believe it or not. Now, my lady, take a seat." Hanna walked over and pulled out a chair. Emily playfully smirked as she walked over and sat down.

"You never cease to amaze me." Emily said, grabbing Hanna's hand and kissing it. Hanna smiled.

"Good, and now you will sit and make conversation with the chef, as she prepares our dinner." Hanna winked, turning on the stove.

"You are cooking me dinner?" Emily grinned.

"What did you think I was doing? Pulling take out food out of the oven?" Hanna rolled her eyes playfully. "Remember, I had cooking lessons."

"Yes, I remember." Emily gave Hanna a sexy smile.

"Please don't do that, Em. I won't be able to make it to dinner." Hanna laughed, and continued preparing to cook. The two girls chit chatted as Hanna cooked. They laughed at each other, and talked about old times and making new memories. Hanna finally finished the mystery meal and walked over to the table, arranging the food beautifully on Emily's plate.

Hanna made a delicious lobster dip, along with crab meat and shrimp in a thick creamy sauce with tender noodles. Emily couldn't believe how great the food was. Hanna got a small tray with crackers for the lobster dip. Though slightly spicey, it was the best lobster fondue Emily had ever tasted.

"Hanna, this is amazing. I didn't realize when you took cooking lessons, you learned to cook like this." Emily complimented, enjoying her dinner with her girlfriend.

"Well this was my first time making this particular dish." Hanna said, taking another bite. She melted. "God, I didn't know I could ever make something so delicious." They laughed.

"It is though! It's amazing, all of this, Hanna." Emily smiled.

"I just felt like doing something official. Going to restraunts with Spencer and Aria isn't exactly a date. And we're at home. We can act wild and sexy legally." Hanna goofed.

"Thank you for all of this. It means... means a lot to know that you were thinking of us and did all of this." Emily smiled, looking around the room.

"I just wanted a night to surprise you and have you all to myself." Hanna reached her hand across the table and grabbed Emily's hand. They smiled, their faces full of love for each other, letting this special moment sink in. Emily jumped when Hanna's phone beeped.

"That's probably Aria." Hanna smiled, getting up and walking to the counter to grab her phone. She smiled back at Emily, who was still sitting, before picking up the phone. When she saw what her screen read, her heart dropped. An unknown sender. She opened the message.

_'Such a romantic night... almost as if the two of you are in a fairytale... Well buckle up bitches because this is a nightmare, and I'm the monster under your bed. Sleep tight._

_ -A'_

Hanna sighed and walked over to Emily. She sat her phone down in front of Emily, and tried to read her face as she read the text. Emily looked up at Hanna, face etched with worry and fear. Hanna grabbed Emily's hand and shook her head. The two glanced around at the windows, into the dark night. Not a soul in sight.

"Tonight is a good night, and 'A' is NOT going to ruin it for us." With that, Hanna sat back down at the table and took a huge bite of her crab and shrimp pasta. Emily started to giggle at Hanna's face, which had a small drizzle of sauce running down her chin. Hanna smiled and wiped her mouth with a napkin. The two pushed 'A' into the back of their minds and enjoyed the rest of their dinner together.


	19. Chapter 19

**This chapter isn't centered around 'A' for once, so I hope you all enjoy some Hanna/Em down time. Thanks soooooo much to my readers I am so thrilled to see ppl enjoying this story ! I am enjoying writing it, as well as my Walking Dead story. I am hoping these two keep a steady stream of followers ! Once again, thank you all for reading, and reviewing ! **

** ~Kaila**

* * *

Hanna was laying on the bed beside Emily, watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful, and so..._unreal_. Her dark hair tumbled around the pillow her head lay on. Her long eyelashes cast a slight shadow over her eyes. Her pouty lips were pressed slightly together. She was beautiful, even in sleep.

Hanna never imagined that she would ever be laying beside Emily, feeling what she did for her. She and Emily had said 'I love you' to each other, but it was so much more than that. Hanna knew she was in love with her.

There was no other way to describe it. The feeling Emily gave her, she had never felt before. It was like every happy and joyful feeling on earth, all wrapped into one emotion. Hanna hated being away from her, she needed Emily by her side every second. It was like she felt incomplete if Emily wasn't beside her. Hanna had to be within arm's reach of her girlfriend at all times.

Emily had been her friend for so long, and she never thought she could look at Em like that. But she was wrong. Emily was now everything to her. Hanna had never really been the 'plan for the future' type, but now she thought about her future often. And she didn't ever want Emily out of it.

Hanna smiled as she imagined kids. Kids usually didn't appeal to her too much, but the thought of having a baby with Emily made her smile. She could see a little blue eyed blonde and a little one with dark skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. The thought made her feel even happier than she could imagine. Maybe one day, when all this 'A' stuff was over, she would have that with Emily. A family.

Emily stirred slightly, and opened her eyes. She squinted at Hanna, and a small smile formed across her lips. Hanna smiled back, as Emily blinked at her trying to regain focus. Her sleepy eyes opened again, and Hanna's heart fluttered.

"You're awake." Emily mumbled groggily.

"I was watching you sleep." Hanna smiled.

"A mess, huh?" Emily returned the smile, propping up on one elbow.

"A beautiful mess." Hanna teased. Emily grinned sleepily and tugged at Hanna's night shirt.

"Lay down?" Emily's bottom lip pouted slightly. Hanna smiled again.

"Yes!" Hanna crawled closer to Emily, and put one arm over her stomach. Hanna layed her head on Emily's chest, listening and feeling her heartbeat. Hanna closed her eyes at the comforting sound.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Hanna asked.

'Yea, all of the time. Why do you ask?" Emily asked as she stroked Hanna's hair.

"Am I in it?" Hanna asked quietly.

"Every second." Emily responded. Hanna smiled slightly. Emily asked, "What about you?"

"I was just thinking about something while I was watching you sleep." Hanna admitted. She continued. "I want kids, Em. Obviously not right _now_, but eventually, when we're both ready, I do."

"Really? _You_ want kids?" Emily asked curiously.

"Well, I think it's just the thought of them being _our_ kids. They'll be ours. I know that would be something special and beautiful, ya know? I want a family. And I want that family to be with you." Hanna explained.

"I didn't know you had this side to you, Hanna." Emily said, sounding surprised.

"Yea well. Neither did I." Hanna replied.

"I can't believe you actually want kids. Aria and Spencer are going to have a fit. They're going to be checking you for fever and asking 'Who are you and what have you done with Hanna Marin?' when you tell them that." Emily laughed. Hanna laughed with her.

"Is it that hard to believe?" Hanna asked.

"Well, sort of. You just... You're Hanna. But now I'm seeing something else too. Dreams." Emily said.

"I do want all those thing, Em. I want a good job, and a nice house, and a family. I want all that. But I only want those things with you." Hanna said, snuggling closer to Emily's warm body.

"So do I, Hanna. I never thought it'd be you. But it is. And... I love you." Emily murmured against Hanna's hair.

"I love you too, Em." Hanna smiled.

"I want kids... What will we name them?" Emily smiled.

"Hmm... I don't know but we'll have to name them after Spence and Aria or World War Three will break out upon us." Hanna teased.

"You got that right. If it's a boy, we could always name him after Ezra or Toby." Emily offered her opinion.

"Yea, or our dads." Hanna said.

"Maybe our dads and the boys." Emily laughed. "Our children's names will be so funky."

"They'll hate us once they get a social life." Hanna agreed.

"I know we'll figure out the perfect names for them when the time comes." Emily said.

"I think we should use the same sperm donor. That way, at least they'll have some resemblance." Hanna explained.

"Sperm donor? You really have been thinking about this, huh?" Emily asked.

"Yes, I really have." Hanna smiled against Emily's chest. "I think we'll be great moms."

"We will, baby...A swimmer and a fashion queen." Emily teased.

"So one will be an olympic medalist and the other will be gay." Hanna teased back. Emily giggled.

"I love you, Hanna Marin." Emily said.

"I love you, Emily Fields." Hanna lifted her head up to brush a soft kiss on Emily's lips. Hanna settled back down against Emily's chest and closed her eyes.

This is all she ever wanted. She knew there wasn't a soul on this earth that could love her more. Hanna felt so comfortable, and Emily's heartbeat was putting her to sleep. Hanna's mind drifted back to thoughts of her and Emily in their future, as she started to fall asleep. She smiled.

When Hanna awoke, she noticed that she and Emily were still in the same postion they fell asleep in. Hanna smiled. She knew that Spencer and Aria would be calling them soon to discuss 'A' stuff, so she was taking advantage of the quiet night, and so far, quiet morning they were having. Hanna felt Emily's hand touch her face. Hanna shuddered at the warm touch of Emily's hand grazing her cheek and down to her neck.

"You're awake." Emily stated, a smile upon her lips.

"That I am... How long have you been awake?" Hanna asked, snuggling even closer to Emily.

"Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes." Emily said, still drawing lazy lines alonf Hanna's face and neck.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Hanna asked.

"I was perfectly content just laying here, with you snuggled up to me. We don't have many peaceful moments anymore, so I was taking advantage of that." Emily smiled.

"You're not the only one." Hanna smiled back. Her smile turned to a frown when their phones beeped. Hanna sat up and looked at Emily. They both had the 'oh great, we spoke too soon' looks.

But Hanna smiled and Emily sighed with relief when they opened their phones, only to see messages from Spencer telling them to wake up.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey everyone, hope you are enjoying the story ! Sorry I haven't updated in a few days, but I've been kind of stumped on how I want this story to go. But I have an idea ! Also if you like Walking Dead (watching the marathon now!) or Buffy, I have my WD story, and 2 one shot Buffy the Vampire Slayer stories. Please enjoy and leave reviews :) I appreciate all the support and the fact that ppl are reading what I write ! With that said...**

* * *

"I don't like it." Spencer said, looking at the message from 'A' that was sent to Hanna the night of her and Emily's dinner.

"You? Like we did!" Hanna's sarcasm came through in her voice. "It's like a horror movie. There's a monster under our beds, but we can't even see it."

"A horror movie? That's an understatement." Aria grumbled.

"Well I got a message too." Spencer handed her phone to Hanna, who read the text out loud.

"_Spence, Spence, Spence. Mommy's got motive... Or does she? The big bad wolf may just be sleeping across the hall. Your parents see it as a broken little lamb... That wolf's going to eat you. Don't forget to wear your red hood._

_-A_"

"Red Riding Hood." Aria stated, with an arch of her eyebrow.

"Melissia." Emily spoke up. "It sounds like 'A' is referring to Melissia."

"That's what I thought too. But we don't know enough yet. Yea, she faked her pregnancy. I need to know why. The real reason." Spencer said.

"What do you mean the real reason? I thought she told you why?" Hanna asked, with a concerned look.

"She did... But I didn't buy it. I think... No, I _know_ she was lying. Something wasn't right. The way she acted after she told me, and my mom, was... strange. She just seemed to be so calm and okay right after she was all emotional and upset. My mother may not be able to see through her fake bullshit, but I sure can." Spencer explained, pacing.

"Do you really think she knows who killed Alison?" Aria asked, frowning slightly.

"I don't know," Spencer replied. "But I do know that she knows something."

"Yea but how do you get it out of her?" Hanna asked.

"I... I don't know." Spencer said, defeated. She plopped down on the couch.

"Well, you can't give up!" Emily exclaimed. "Maybe you can get her to spill... Or just sneak around and see if you can listen whenever you see her on the phone. It's not a big break, but it could be a start."

"You know what, Em? You're right. I may be able to find out _something_ if I just observe and listen. We have got to find that outfit." Spencer mumbled, racking her brain.

"Yes we do. Whoever got the outfit must have gotten it in a hurry. They didn't even bother to zip it back up into it's safe little case. All we got from that was a damn feather." Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Hey, that feather was helpful." Aria smiled slightly.

"Hanna's right. Someone got that swan dress... The question is, who?" Emily was thinking back to the night at the masquerade ball.

"I am still pointing a finger at Lucas. I saw him coming out from visiting Mona. He knows something. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he was in on all of this." Hanna smirked, annoyed.

"But why? Okay... stupid question." Aria shrugged her shoulders.

"I think," Emily spoke up, "that even though Alison is gone, the people she tortured aren't happy with us, no matter how much we have changed. We let Alison do terrible things..."

"You're absolutely right." Hanna nodded in agreement.

"But that doesn't mean we deserve this!" Spencer exclaimed.

"We know, Spence." Emily said softly.

"We have to get something done. And fast. I can't sit around here any longer. I want to bust 'A' once and for all." Aria said.

"Spence, why don't you and Aria go see if Melissia is home. Try to act normal and see what you can over hear or over see. I'm going to see if I can get Mona to talk some more, and Em, see if you can hit some dress shops and find out if anyone pawned a black swan dress, and if so, who bought it." Hanna spoke up the plan. Spencer raised her eyebrows.

"Wow, Hanna. Didn't know you had it in ya." Aria smiled.

"Well, I'm just as anxious as the rest of you are to get this the fuck over with. No more damn games." Hanna said. With that, she walked over to Emily, kissed her lips and turned to go. Suddenly, she spun back to the three girls.

"We can all meet back up in town, say, seven thirty?" Hanna offered.

"Sounds great." Spencer said, and the girls were off.

Hanna thought about so much as she drove. She wanted to find out who 'A' was so badly. Hanna needed things to be over with this dangerous game, so that her and Em could have a normal life. She knew that would be impossible with 'A' in the picture. Their lives were far from normal. Their lives were nightmares.

Hanna finally arrived at Radley, dreading to hear what might come out of Mona's mouth. Nothing good ever seemed to come out. All Mona wanted to do was talk about gossip and the latest fashion trends. She pretended as if nothing ever happened and she was the Mona that Hanna believed her to be once before. Hanna knew that something was off. Something was... Different.

Hanna was worried about the detective talking to Mona. She needed to figure out what was said, what he wanted. Hanna hated Detective Wilden with a passion. He was probably the dumbest, cockiest, most foolish cop she had ever met. He thought he was so bad, but Hanna knew she showed him up when he had tried to scare them and she got in his face. The thought made her smile.

Hanna made her way into Radley and found Mona. Hanna tried for nearly two hours to get Mona to talk, but nothing came from the crazy girl. Sighing in defeat, Hanna stood up and began gathering her stuff up in a huff. Before she turned to walk toward the door, she looked directly into Mona's eyes.

"Mona, please tell me what you know. Something... Anything!" Hanna exclaimed, aggitated. Mona just looked at her. Hanna turned to leave, when suddenly Mona's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I know that ugly ducklings turn out to be beautiful swans." Mona smirked. "Ugliness on the inside makes perfect darkness, Hanna." Mona stood, and walked back toward her room without looking back.

Deep in thought, Hanna walked back toward her car. She got in and noticed it was nearly dark out side. She turned the music up as she drove toward town. Hanna kept replaying in her head what Mona had said. It made sense, but who was Mona talking about? Melissia? Hanna wished she knew.

Hanna parked her car at Rosewood grill, and walked the sidewalks, waiting for a text from her friends and girlfriend to let her know they were there. She walked slowly, thinking about what Mona said. As Hanna walked by a small alley, a hand shot out and grabbed her. She tried to scream, but a hand covered her mouth.


	21. Chapter 21

**Ok guys, this one is a tad bit short, but it's all I could muster up at the moment! LOVE LOVE LOVE all the reviews, I hope I am keeping you all on your toes ! hehe... Enjoy !**

** Kaila G.**

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Hanna tried to scream. The hand covering her mouth prevented that. The alley was dark, and Hanna could see the opening of the alley getting farther and farther from her sight. She kicked backward hard, and her heel connected with a shin bone.

"OW! Hanna stop!" The voice made her freeze up. "I'm going to uncover your mouth, don't scream, okay?" The hand moved away. Hanna turned sharply and pushed the dark figure as hard as she could. It hit the brick wall with a _thud_.

"What the fuck, Caleb? What is this?" Hanna threw her hands up wildly at the scene before them. Even in the dark she could see that his hair was a mess, his eyes looked sleepless and crazed. He looked..._different_.

"Look, I know what it looks like-"

"What it looks like, is that you just basically kidnapped me into this alley!" Hanna snapped.

"Just let me talk Hanna!" Caleb snapped. "What are you doing? Running around with these girls looking for someone, when really, the crazy is in a place where she belongs. I'm beginning to think _you're_ the crazy one! Dating a... _Emily_. Really?"

"You are the crazy one! Pulling me into this alley just to talk shit to me that doesn't even make any sense. You know that Mona isn't the only 'A'... And I wouldn't be surprised if you were in on it too." Hanna was glaring as she spun around and started to walk away quickly.

"Hanna, wait!" Caleb lunged forward and grabbed her arm roughly. Hanna snatched away even rougher.

"Do _not_ touch me. Leave me the hell alone!" Hanna hissed, and she ran toward the opening of the dark alley. When she reached the opening, she collided with a body. Hanna and the body yelped in surprise.

"Hanna?" Aria's shocked voice was like music to her ears. "What... were you doing in that alley?"

"Caleb pulled me in there!" Hanna exclaimed.

"He did what?" Aria's mouth dropped.

"Come on, let's meet up with Em and Spence so I can explain to all of you at once." Hanna said, and the two walked back toward the grill. When they got to the doors, they could see Emily and Spencer already seated. The two jumped up and rushed toward them as they entered the grill.

"What took you so long?" Spencer huffed at them with a worried expression.

"Hanna, here, got alley napped." Aria joked. Hanna shot her an evil look.

"Got what?" Emily asked, with a confused face.

"Well everybody, take a seat and I'll tell you a tale." Hanna rolled her eyes as the girls sat down at the table. "I was walking along, waiting for Emily, all of you, to get here. I started thinking, and pacing. Well, I was just lost in thought, when I walked by an alley, and two hands grabbed me. All I could see was the opening of the alley getting farther and farther. So I kicked the son of a bitch. And who's voice do I hear? Caleb."

"Caleb?" Spencer questioned. Hanna glanced at Emily's face, which was furious.

"Yes. Caleb. He told me not to scream, and he let me go. To which then I cussed at him, and he countered by basically saying that I-_we_ are all crazy because Mona is locked away and we are 'safe'. Then he went on to get all huffy about me and Em, which earned him some more nasty words. And then I walked away... but he grabbed me." Hanna lifted up her sleeve to reveal nearly perfect finger tips bruised onto her arm.

"Hanna!" Emily grabbed her arm gently. "That looks bad! I'm going to kick his ass!"

"Calm down, Romeo." Hanna grinned. "I just pulled away from him, told him don't touch me and leave me alone."

"And you were that nice?" Spencer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay okay, so I said, do _not_ touch me, leave me the hell alone!" Hanna imitated her moment with Caleb. Spencer burst into laughter.

"You are a pitbull." Spencer's laughed had turned into a grin.

"Yea, she is." Emily teased, sliding her hand to cover Hanna's. They smiled.

"So Caleb is just being a creep because you left him for a gi-for an Emily." Aria stated, looking at Hanna.

"Pretty much. He is just acting crazy, and honestly I wouldn't be shocked if he was in on this 'A' scheme. Think about it, he was helping Jenna when I first met him." Hanna explained.

"But then he stopped." Aria said.

"Or said he did." Spencer piped up.

"Have any of you ever thought that maybe none of this had anything at all to do with 'A'?" Emily jumped back into the conversation. "Maybe he really is just mad that Hanna moved on. Maybe, he really does just want her back."

"Well, sweet cheeks, he is not getting me." Hanna said, with big eyes. Spencer smiled, and Aria laughed.

"Damn right he's not! You're all mine." Emily snuggled closer to Hanna, who had a goofy smile on her face.

"Yes I am." She reaffirmed. Spencer and Aria just smiled at their friends.

"So Hanna, since we didn't get to the subject because you were 'alley napped', as Aria says, did you get anything out of Mona?" Spencer asked with a hopeful expression.

"Uhhh..." Hanna's face went into full concentration mode. "Oh yea! Something about ugly ducklings make beautiful swans... And ugliness on the inside makes perfect darkness?"

"That's just creepy." Aria said, wide eyed.

"Yea, well. Try having to look and talk to the girl as she creepily says the shit." Hanna smirked. Just before Emily opened her mouth to speak, the girl's phones beeped. They silently opened the messages, and Spencer read it out loud.

" _'Just imagine what a dirty boy can do to a little liar in a dark alley... Better watch your backs, bitches._

_ -A' _"

Hanna looked at them, with slight fear in her eyes.


	22. Chapter 22

**So sorry I haven't written in a longgggg while ! I decided to kind of put the last two episodes into this one chapter, and leaving things out that we already know about. And changing things up. More to come SOON !**

** ~Kaila G**

* * *

It was a beautiful, sunny morning. Hanna was in pajamas, which consisted of short shorts, and a tank. She was sitting in her kitchen, enjoying a bowl of cereal, and waiting for Emily to get downstairs. She was taking forever to wake up. Hanna jumped when she heard a knock on the kitchen door. She stood up to see Detective Wilden standing at the door. Hanna stood up, rolling her eyes, and opened the door.

"Morning, Hanna. Is your mom home?" He questioned, an evil smirk on his face.

"Why?" Hanna asked.

"Because I'm not supposed to talk to you without a guardian present." He replied bitterly.

"Like that's stopped you before." Hanna shot back, voice equally bitter.

"Do me a favor, tell your mom we need you to come in for a blood sample."

"Why do you need my blood?" Hanna asked, trying not to show concern.

"We have new evidence in the DiLaurentis case, and the family wants answers." He smirked. "And since the blood on that anklet doesn't match the guy who's locked up."

"What, so you think it's my blood?" Hanna asked in disbelief.

"O-negative. Same type as yours." He said.

"Yea, and probably a billion other people." Hanna shot back.

"A billion other people weren't slipping notes under a woman's hospital bracelet." He said.

"Ya know what? You have know proof that I did that." Hanna said back.

"Multiple witnesses saw you coming out of that room, Hanna."

"Well they're wrong." Hanna said surely. "My blood is not on your evidence."

"Then why do you look so scared." He stated it more than questioned. Just before he turned to leave, Emily came bounding into the kitchen.

"Hanna, baby, I just..." She trailed off when she saw Detective Wilden.

"Emily." He said, menacingly.

"Detective." Emily smirked back at him. He took one last look at Hanna, and walked away. "What was all that about?" Emily looked at Hanna as she shut the door.

"He wants me to come down to the police station to take a blood sample when my mom gets back into town." Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Why you?" Emily questioned.

"I don't know. Why does he do anything that he does? To put me away for life." Hanna plopped down in anger.

"He's not going to put you away." Emily smiled. "I'll call Spence." The girls met up at a coffee shop, and the girls noticed Hanna's worried expression.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked, looking from Emily to Hanna.

"Detective Wilden showed up at my back door today." Hanna faked a smile. "Wanting a blood sample."

"Why?" Aria asked.

"He says there's new evidence in Ali's murder and since the blood on that anklet doesn't match Garrett's, I'm next on his list." Hanna frowned.

"Hanna, I'm so sorry..." Spencer looked pained, knowing it had been her and Jason that turned in that bracelet to the police.

"Spence, don't." Hanna waved her hand. "Don't blame yourself. We all thought it was the right thing to do."

"But how could 'A' get your blood?" Aria asked.

"Em, here, has a whole night she doesn't remember." Hanna pointed out.

"True." Aria agreed. The girls went on talking about everything, but Spencer had to go talk to Toby. Aria, Emily, and Hanna went back to Hanna's house. They were babbling on about something, when they walked into the kitchen and noticed something on Hanna's ouija board.

"What is that?" Aria asked, looking at Hanna.

Hanna reached out to grab the pointer, but felt a sharp pain and dropped it. Blood on her finger. There was a peice of paper taped to the back of the pointer.

"See how easy it is for me to get your blood." Aria read it quietly. Hanna saw the small staples sticking up. Hanna began to panic, and she had a flash back of her and Mona, playing that stupid game. Mona asking what happened to Ali. Hanna seeing Ali outside of her kitchen. She sighed as she explained it to the girls.

"We have got to talk to Mona." Emily said with wide eyes. She looked at Hanna.

"Okay." Hanna shook her head in agreement.

* * *

"It's a website." Spencer said as she typed the letters in. A picture of Maya popped up on her laptop. Emily's face fell, and Hanna noticed. She felt a shudder of sadness run through her. "We have to have a password." Spencer's voice interrupted all thoughts.

"Here, let me see." Emily said, typing something into the password bar. Password invalid. "I thought I might know what it was. Guess I don't know her as well as I thought I did." The girls gave Emily knowing looks, as Spencer tried over and over to crack the password. After no success, she decided to call in the expert.

"Hanna, I know it probably isn't the best idea, but I'm going to get Caleb's help." Spencer said quietly.

"Okay, just be really careful. I don't like the idea, but it may be our only choice." Hanna sighed.

"I know... I'm sorry I couldn't break through it myself." Spencer said sadly.

"Don't worry about it. If Caleb does help you, it will be cracked." Hanna said. Spencer gave her a weak smile, before trying the password again. Hanna started to walk away but Spencer's voice stopped her.

"My mom's got you. She will fight this whole blood sample thing. Don't worry Hanna." Spencer said surely.

"Thanks Spence." Hanna forced a smile before leaving.

* * *

It had been nearly two days since the night they found Maya's website. Emily had been staying at her own house, and barely talking to Hanna. Hanna was frustrated, but didn't know what else to do but give Emily time. It had to hurt, knowing there were things about people you loved that you didn't know. Especially when they weren't here now to explain it all.

That night, Hanna decided to go over to Emily's house and confront her. She missed her girlfriend, and they needed to talk about all of this. She drove, lost in thought about everything that had been going wrong in their lives. She shook her head, shaking the thoughts away as she arrived at Emily's house.

Emily's mom greeted her at the door with a hug. "Emily's upstairs." She smiled, and Hanna thanked her before dashing up the stairs toward her girlfriend's room. She walked into her room slowly, and Emily's head popped up at the sight of her. She jumped up from her bed and stared at Hanna.

"Hey." Hanna said.

"Hey." Emily said back quietly.

"Look, I know all of this is hard for you," Hanna said touching Emily's face, "but don't hide."

"I wasn't..." Emily stopped and stared at Hanna. She had missed her so much. She leaned forward and started kissing her. Hanna broke the kiss, and quickly jogged toward the door. Emily was staring at her in confusion, until Hanna closed the door, locked it, and walked back to her.

"Now. Where were we?" Hanna asked, pulling Emily to her and kissing her again. Emily smiled against her lips, as they fell onto the bed.

* * *

Spencer had Aria with her, and the two were watching Maya's video blogs on her website. Just like Hanna said, Caleb cracked the password. Aria was trying to call Hanna and Emily, but neither of the girls would answer. Spencer clicked on a video and it showed Emily eating ice cream. Flirting with Maya, and laughing.

"I am way out of my comfort zone. You don't know what the video is until you click on it." Spencer said quietly. She decided to open one more, and the video was shocking. Maya was talking, about her fears and how scared she was. That she was a coward. Then there were police lights. Spencer stopped it. "We have to get Emily and Hanna here now." She said dialing Emily's number again.

"She answering?" Aria asked.

"No," Spencer said, shaking her head.

"Call her again." Aria said, already redialing Hanna's number.

* * *

Hanna was hovering over Emily, kissing her neck. Emily began to unbutton Hanna's jeans, both girls totally oblivious to their cell phones. Lighting up and vibrating like crazy.


	23. Chapter 23

"We didn't want to make you watch them... But we figured you'd want to." Spencer was saying, as they walked. She handed Emily a slip of paper. Maya's password.

"Thank you." Emily said quietly.

"Do you want me to watch them with you?" Spencer asked, her face full of sadness for her friend.

"No... Spence that means a lot, but I think I need do do this alone." Emily said surely, trying to smile lightly. Spencer smirked and shook her head.

"I understand." Spencer grabbed Emily into a hug. "Everything's going to be okay, Em. We're going to get through this."

"It feels like it's never going to end." Emily admitted her thoughts. Spencer pulled back and smiled.

"Of course. Just like finals." She joked. Emily smiled.

"I will call you tonight. I guess after I look at.. Maya's site." Emily looked down at the piece of folded paper.

The girls said goodbye, and Emily began walking toward her car. She felt strangely nervous about the piece of paper in her hands. Knowing that it was the key to Maya's site made her feel...mixed emotions. Sad, to know that she would see her again. Happy that she would see her again. Scared of what she might see.

"Emily!" A voice called out to her, and she spun to see Nate.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Hey, I've been looking for you. Where have you been? I've been calling you!" He sounded agitated.

"I left my phone in the car... What's wrong?" Emily asked, shifting uncomfortably, staring at him.

"I just wanted to tell you..." He leaned his face toward hers. Emily jumped back a step and stared at him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Emily asked, glaring at him.

"I... I'm sorry... I just thought, that... Nevermind!" With that he turned and stalked off. Emily watched him go, weirded out by his actions. When he was out of sight, she got into her car and drove toward her house.

Once inside, she went upstairs to her bedroom, and looked out of the window. It was nearly night. The sun was setting, and Emily thought of Hanna, as she saw all the beautiful colors. But Hanna was ripped from her thoughts when she dug into her jean's pocket and pulled out the slip of paper.

Emily walked over to her bed and sat down, opening her laptop and turning it on. After a few seconds of loading, she finally got to the internet and typed in the web address. Typing in the password, her heart began to beat fast when it confirmed it, and let her in. She began watching the videos.

There were videos of herself with Maya. Tears fell from her eyes as she watched Maya speak. She talked about Emily, and it was killing her to see Maya alive, knowing she was really dead. Emily watched as Maya began to act silly. Emily smiled through her tears, watching the girl. Emily was so focused on the video, that she almost didn't notice the movement at her door. She looked up to see Hanna.

Before she could close down the website, Hanna was walking toward her. When Hanna saw what Emily was watching, she looked at her with sad eyes. Hanna sat on the end of her bed and looked at Emily, sighing.

"Hanna, I'm sorry I just-"

"Don't, Em. You have every right to look at that website. I know it's hard...to see her." Hanna said, feeling sad for Emily. Emily looked shocked at Hanna's reaction.

"It is." Emily said, looking at Hanna. "I miss her, but...things worked out."

"Did they? We are all screwed, Em. Nothing is going right for any of us. I could go to jail. They are out for my blood. My mom's boyfriend found those videos that we were trying to keep Ian from getting." Hanna explained.

"What did he do with them?" Emily asked, wide eyed.

"Gave it to my mom. After she saw what was on there, she destroyed it." Hanna said.

"Destroyed it? How? Are you sure it's gone for good?" Emily's face was full of worry.

"How does throwing it in the garbage disposal sound for destroyed?" Hanna smirked. She saw Emily relax. Hanna crawled up the bed, over to where Emily was sitting and pulled her into her arms.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Maya. I know that doesn't make it better, but you and her didn't deserve what happened to you both. I just want you to know, that when hard stuff comes along, you don't have to be in this alone, Emily." Hanna said, as she stroked her face. Emily raised up and looked at Hanna with tears in her eyes.

"Will you watch them with me?" Emily whispered.

"Of course." Hanna whispered back, leaning in and pecking Emily on the lips. Emily smiled at the kiss and the two snuggled up as Emily clicked on the next video. But Emily paused it quickly.

"I saw Nate today." Emily said quietly.

"And?" Hanna asked. Emily sounded as if there was more to tell.

"He tried to kiss me." Emily made a scrunched up face. Hanna laughed.

"He did what?" Hanna barked through her laughter.

"He tried to kiss me! I jumped back and asked him what the hell he was doing, then he got all weird and ran off." Emily explained.

"He is weird. I don't like him. He's sketchy to me." Hanna said.

"I don't know, Hanna. I think he's just lonely. I'm really his only connection to Maya." Emily said.

"Still a sketch." Hanna sneered slightly. Emily grinned and kissed her.

* * *

So much had been going on. Hanna and Emily had gotten S.O.S texts from Spencer, and when they had drove over to her house, Spencer had presented the Kahn's security video to them. The video showed Noel and Jenna going into the cabin, then Maya being snatched away by someone.

The girls didn't know what to do. They were being given evidence, and they had to try to figure out who 'A' was all on their own. Hanna and Emily didn't know what to say, but it hurt Emily to see Maya the night she died. She was speechless.

"I don't know about you guys, but my days just keep getting worse. Maggie lied to Ezra and told him she lived by herself. She has a son. He looks just like Ezra." Aria smacked her hand to her forehead in defeat.

"Just tell him the truth." Hanna said. "He's going to find out one way or another. 'A' will tell him." Hanna rolled her eyes.

"You're right." Aria shrugged her shoulders.

"What about Paige and the earring?" Spencer asked.

"I don't know. I don't know, this is all too much!" Emily threw her hands up. Hanna grabbed Emily's hands and brought them to her lips. She kissed the top of her hands, and looked back at Spencer.

"I don't know either, but I have a bad feeling something terrible is going to happen soon." Hanna said.

"Doesn't it always?" Spencer shook her head and looked away. Suddenly the girl's phones beeped. With worried expressions, they all opened their phones. Emily read the message out loud.

'_Alison, Ian, Maya... When you lay down with dogs, you get fleas. Anyone tied to Ali seems to die... Who's next? Someone has to die. Get ready to put on your best funeral heels, bitches._

_ -A'_


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, so this chapter is how I thought everything went down, but I had to change a lot of things. Considering Paige and Caleb aren't really legit in my story, I had to change some stuff. Hope you all enjoy !**

** ~Kaila G.**

* * *

"Hello?" Emily answered her ringing phone.

"You have five minutes to go. Get in your car, and get away from here now!" A strange voice yelled, and then she heard a 'click'. Emily stared at her phone, looking at the unknown call log. Another 'A' call. She stared at her phone wondering what it could possibly mean. She was walking across a parking lot, there was no one in sight. She stood still, looking around. Nothing. She was beginning to think this 'A' stuff was a bunch of bullshit.

Emily continued walking toward her car. It was getting dark, and she was ready to spend time with Hanna. The thought of what they had to do that night was heavy on her mind. She thought of Ali's grave as she neared her car and hit the unlock button on her keys. Before she knew it, something hit her. Hard. Everything went black.

* * *

"Spence, have you heard from Emily? She was supposed to meet me at my house thirty minutes ago. She knows we have to meet 'A' tonight." Hanna sounded worried.

"No, she hasn't called." Spencer turned to Aria. "Have you heard from Em?"

"No, nothing." Hanna heard Aria's voice answer. Hanna began to feel sick.

"Okay, look I'm coming to your house, I don't know what else to do." Hanna said.

"We don't have much time, I hope Emily hurries. Maybe her mom kept her out late. Maybe she will be able to get away and meet us at the grave." Spencer explained.

"Yea. On my way." Hanna said before hanging up. She had a thought, remembering that Caleb had put a gun in her drawer just before they broke up. She looked to see if it was still there, and it was. Making sure the safety was on, she stuck it down snug into her boot.

She rushed out to her car, but was met by a figure. Before she had time to say a word, it lashed out and hit her across the head. Hanna fell to the ground, but she was only dazed. The person grabbed her up, and she felt herself being lifted, just before she passed out.

* * *

Emily was sitting on a couch. She knew where she was. A place Maya had talked about. Luckily, her cell phone was in her pocket. But how could she get it out with Nate staring at her? She had just awoke, and Nate had untied her. He turned on the t.v. It was Maya.

She was talking about how she had a stalker, and that as soon as she felt like it was safe, she was going to come back. And the two of them could be together. Emily's eyes were filled with tears, when Nate stopped the video.

"I'm not her cousin. My name isn't Nate. My name is Lynden James. I went to Tru North and I met Maya. But she was full of games. Just like you. I was in love with her! And I thought that maybe by finding you, I could get my revenge. But then you kissed me, and I felt close to her. But you were full of games just like she was!" He yelled, pulling out a knife and shoving it against her throat. Emily gasped, trying to move away. But he held her head still.

"I could kill you... But now I'm going to show you what it's like to watch the person you love get taken away." He yelled as he got up and began walking over to the closet. Emily quickly grabbed her phone, and was thankful to see one service bar. She sent an 'S.O.S' text to Spence with the address. Luckily, the address was short, and she pushed send as he slung open the closet door. Her service signal disappeared. He yanked out a girl... Hanna. She was gagged, and her hands were tied. Emily began to panic, sitting on her phone, as Lynden shoved Hanna down onto the sofa beside her.

"No, no! Lynden, please don't!" Emily tried to reach out and touch Hanna, but Lynden jerked her away.

"That's right. Beg for her life." His voice was wicked and cruel. He stuck the knife to Hanna's throat. Something creaked. Lynden jumped up and walked toward the door. Thinking fast, Emily jumped up and ran. Lynden cursed, following closely behind. Emily ran, quickly, into the woods. She had her cell phone out, trying to get service. She could hear footsteps. Frantically, she ran toward the light house.

Running to the stairs, she ran up them quickly, trying to keep her balance. Reaching the top, she noticed she had service. Not much, but enough. Emily dialed 911 and could hear the dispatcher, but looking up, she saw Lynden. He lunged at her with the knife.

Emily's phone flew across the lighthouse floor, as she grabbed Lynden's arm and shoved it upward, keeping the knife from plunging into her. He grabbed her, fighting her. Emily fought for her life, shoving his arm away, hitting and kicking him. The knife slipped from his hand, and Emily went for it. Lynden fought her for it, but Emily thought of Hanna, and grabbed it.

She stood, and tried to run again, but he grabbed her. The struggle was short lived when Emily let the knife stick into his stomach. He looked shocked, and Emily began to panic slightly at what she had done. She watched him drop to the ground. Emily was standing there crying, when she heard footsteps.

Hanna rounded the last few stairs quickly, gun in hand, as her eyes scanned the scene. Nate, or Lynden, was laying on the lighthouse floor with blood on his shirt. Emily was standing there, shock on her face, crying. Hanna ran to her. She put the gun down, and grabbed Emily into her arms. Emily held on tight, crying.

"It's okay, Em. I got you." Hanna said, stroking her hair. Then Lynden rose up. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. He sat up, and his arm reached for the gun.

"Emily!" Hanna yelled, before letting her go and shoving her aside. She heard a loud pop echo through the lighthouse walls. There was pain in her side, and she couldn't breathe as she fell.

She saw Emily run over and kick the gun from Lynden's hand and he layed still. Then Emily was at her side, and all Hanna could hear was her voice. Emily's hands were on her face, and the panic in her voice was evident. Hanna tried to focus on Emily instead of the pain.

"Hanna! Look at me, baby! Please, Hanna, please! Look at me! Baby, please. Oh God, Oh God, Oh God... NO! No, no, no.. Hanna, I love you, just look at me!" Emily was panicking. Hanna tried, but her eyes fluttered shut.

* * *

Spencer and Aria could see the police questioning Emily, and all they wanted to do was run to her. Both of the girls were crying, and could see that Emily was breaking down. Emily began to cry frantically as they loaded Hanna into the ambulance. The police let her go, and she ran into Spencer and Aria, crying.

"She is going to be okay." Spencer tried to comfort them all through her own tears. "We need to follow the ambulance." The girls unlatched from one another, jumped into Spencer's vehicle, and sped off, following the ambulance.


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay guys, SOOO sorry for the long break ! I finally updated ! I have been killing myself with my college classes, and doing my Walking Dead fanfic, and I'm going to start a new one soon, so my mind has been in a million places at once ! I wanna say THANK YOU to all my amazing readers/reviewers ! You guys rock !**

**~Kaila G.**

* * *

The ride to the hospital seemed to never end. Emily was on the edge of her seat the entire ride, trying her best to answer the girl's questions of what had happened. Emily couldn't even think straight, realizing that Nate was not even Nate at all. He wasn't Maya's cousin. He murdered Maya. And now he had hurt Hanna. Emily felt like an idiot for trusting him, but he had been so convincing. He had lied about everything, and she had believed him.

"So you're sure that Na-, Lynden, did kill Maya?" Spencer asked, switching her turn signal on as they arrived at the hospital. Emily felt her stomach tighten even more at the sight.

"That's what he said." Emily responded, unlocking her door. She nearly jumped out of the car before Spencer even had time to put it in park. Spencer and Aria jumped out quickly, running after their friend. Emily rushed through the doors, and went to the front desk.

"I'm here about Hanna Marin. They just brought her in." Emily nearly yelped at the receptionist.

"What's your relation to the patient?" The woman asked, not even bothering to look up from her paper work.

"She's my girlfriend." Emily said, her voice pained. The woman looked up.

"I'm sorry but I can't give you any information without an actual family member present. That's policy." And with that, she looked back down. Emily knew she wouldn't get anything from the woman, so all she could do was sit in the waiting room and wait for Hanna's mom.

"Anything?" Spencer asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope. Snobby woman is tight lipped and silent until Ms. Marin gets here." Emily sighed, feeling stressed.

"It'll be okay, Em." Aria said, touching her arm. Emily couldn't even force a smile at this point. She just put her head in her hands and tried to think. Her thoughts were jumbled, and all she kept seeing was Hanna scream her name. Then she pushed Emily, and there was a loud pop. Emily shook her head against her hands, trying to rid the images from her mind.

"Emily!" Ashley's voice ripped through her thoughts. Emily jumped up, rushing over to the woman. A second woman walked through the door, and Emily felt relief that her own mother was there. She hugged them both, and walked with Hanna's mom to the front desk.

"I'm Ashley Marin, Hanna Marin's mother. What do you know?" Ms. Marin was like a pitbull. The receptionist began scanning through her computer.

"Your daughter's in surgery right now. She suffered a gunshot wound to her upper left side, luckily it missed her heart. She should be fine, Ma'am. A doctor will be with you shortly." The woman smiled sweetly, before focusing back on her paper work. Emily looked at Ms. Marin, and the two saw some relief in each other's eyes. They sat back down with the others.

Emily retold the story to Ms. Marin, who said the police did not go into much detail when she got the call. Emily had to keep herself from mentioning 'A' on several occasions. Ms. Marin didn't seemed shocked by the actions that Hanna took to protect the girl she loved. Ms. Marin smiled lightly at Emily.

"She has always been a fighter. It doesn't surprise me that she took that bullet for you. She really loves you, Emily." Ms. Marin said quietly.

"I really love her too." Emily said, in tears. "I'm so sorry...this is all my fault." She shook her head, and looked at the ground.

"Don't say that. None of this is your fault!" Spencer jumped to defend Emily from herself.

"She's right," Ms. Marin said, "it isn't your fault at all. That boy was mentally unstable, how were you to know that? Don't beat yourself up. Hanna is going to be fine, and I know she'll say she'd do it again if it came down to it. Hopefully you girls will catch a break."

"God knows, we need one!" Aria murmured. "Em, everything's going to be fine. Hanna is one of the bravest, strongest people we know. And she has us. We'll always have each other."

"She's right." Spencer half smiled. Ashley walked across the room to speak with the doctor.

"Thank you guys for coming tonight." Emily said, looking at the two.

"Are you kidding?" Spencer scoffed. "S.O.S means get your ass in gear!" She whispered the last sentence. Emily nodded and there was a faint smile on her lips.

"Pam Fields please pick up the nearest courtesy call." An announcement came over the loud speaker. Emily's mom looked slightly confused.

"Must be Dad." Emily said, then looked back down at the ground.

"No, I never reached him. He doesn't even know we're here." Her mom said, getting up and walking toward the nearest phone. The girls all began to look strangely at their surroundings. As if on cue, their phones went off. They all reached for their phones as they began to go off a second time. A call from a blocked number. The girls answered without a 'hello'.

"Emily, I owe you one." A gruff, undetectable voice said. Then it was gone. They all quickly put away their phones at Mrs. Fields returned.

"That was odd. There was no one there." She said, sitting back down. Movement to the left caught their attention, as Mrs. Hastings walked in, Garrett right beside her.

Emily couldn't believe what she was seeing. Garrett was in the hospital. Why wasn't he in jail? No, he didn't kill Maya, but they all believed he killed Ali. Emily whipped her head over to Spencer, who looked mortified.

"Mom! He's out of jail?" Spencer asked, panicked. Her mother nodded.

"Emily, I'm so sorry you had to go through that tonight. But I want you to know that you helped an innocent victim. Because of you, Garrett Reynolds is a free man." Mrs. Hastings said. Emily couldn't process the words as she saw Garrett turn to face the girls from the front desk. A wicked smile spread across his lips. Emily looked over at Spencer, who looked mortified.

* * *

Off in the night, dressed in a nurse's outfit, Mona droned on directions. When she spoke her last words of the night, the hooded figure turned around, only to be Toby Cavanaugh...


End file.
